Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has safely departed Guinea-Bissau following the military coup that toppled the country’s government, the Federal Government confirmed on Thursday.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, told journalists in Abuja that Jonathan left the country aboard a special flight.
“Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is very safe and out of Guinea-Bissau. He left with a special flight with members of his delegation, including Mohamed Chambas,” he said.
Jonathan, who headed the West African Elders Forum Election Observation Mission, had been in Guinea-Bissau monitoring last Sunday’s presidential and legislative elections when the military announced that it had seized power.
In a joint statement on Wednesday, Filipe Nyusi, former president of Mozambique and Head of the African Union Election Observation Mission; Issifu Kamara, Head of the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission; and Jonathan condemned the coup, describing it as an attempt to derail the country’s democratic process.
They urged residents to remain calm and reiterated their commitment to supporting Guinea-Bissau “during this sensitive period,” stressing the need to safeguard peace and stability.
The Federal Government also issued a separate statement on Thursday, condemning the takeover and warning that it poses a serious threat to democracy and regional stability.
It said the military action amounted to “an unconstitutional change of government in the Republic of Guinea-Bissau” and a violation of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.
Guinea-Bissau descended into turmoil on Wednesday after military officers declared they had taken “total control” of the state, shut the borders, and suspended electoral activities.
Heavy gunfire was reported around the presidential palace, while soldiers blocked major routes in the capital.
General Denis N’Canha, head of the presidential military office, said a command representing all branches of the armed forces would “take over the leadership of the country until further notice.”
Speaking to France24, incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embalo said, “I have been deposed.” He was reportedly sheltering inside a building behind military headquarters with senior officials.
Both Embalo and opposition candidate Fernando Dias had declared victory in Sunday’s elections, with provisional results expected on Thursday.
The military said it acted after uncovering an alleged plot involving “national drug lords” and the importation of weapons intended to “alter the constitutional order.”
Later on Thursday, military authorities reopened the country’s borders. “All borders are now open,” General Lansana Mansali, Inspector General of the Armed Forces.
More than 6,700 security personnel, including ECOWAS Stabilisation Force members, had been deployed for the polls amid heightened political tension.
Guinea-Bissau, one of the world’s poorest nations, has a long history of political instability, with four successful coups and several attempts since independence.
AFP
READ ALSO: Abducted Kaduna Anglican Priest Confirmed Dead in Captivity
0 Comments