Guinea-Bissau coup: Nigeria confirms Jonathan’s safe exit

… as Nigeria, AU, ECOWAS condemn coup

Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is safe and has left Guinea-Bissau following Wednesday’s military coup that toppled the government, Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Thursday.

The ministry’s spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, told journalists in Abuja that Jonathan, who was in the country leading the West African Elders Forum Election Observation Mission, departed “with a special flight” alongside members of his delegation, including Mohamed Chambas.

“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,” Ebienfa said.

Jonathan had been monitoring last Sunday’s presidential and legislative elections when soldiers announced they had taken control of the country.

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 “a direct attempt to disrupt Guinea-Bissau’s democratic process.”

They urged residents to remain calm and pledged continued support for the country “during this sensitive period,” emphasising “the importance of preserving peace, stability, and the well-being of the Bissau-Guinean people.”

Nigeria also issued a strong condemnation of the military takeover. In a statement on Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it received the news “with profound dismay and deep concern,” noting that the coup resulted in “an unconstitutional change of government in the Republic of Guinea-Bissau.”

It added that the action violated the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance and “poses a serious threat to democracy and regional stability.”

Guinea-Bissau plunged into chaos on Wednesday after military officers declared they had assumed “total control,” shut the country’s borders and suspended all electoral processes. Heavy gunfire echoed around the presidential palace as soldiers barricaded major routes.

General Denis N’Canha, head of the presidential military office, announced that a joint command of all branches of the armed forces had taken power “until further notice.”

Incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, speaking to France24 by phone, said, “I have been deposed.” AFP reported that he was being held inside a building near military headquarters alongside the chief of staff and the interior minister.

Both Embalo and opposition candidate Fernando Dias had already claimed victory in Sunday’s polls, with provisional results expected on Thursday.

Explaining their actions, the military alleged it had uncovered a plot involving “national drug lords” and the illicit importation of weapons “to alter the constitutional order.”

By late Thursday, the military announced that the country’s borders had been reopened. “All borders are now open,” General Lansana Mansali, Inspector General of the Armed Forces, told AFP.

More than 6,700 security personnel, including ECOWAS Stabilisation Force members, had been deployed for the elections amid surging political tensions.

Guinea-Bissau, one of Africa’s poorest nations, has experienced repeated coups, with four successful overthrows and multiple attempts since gaining independence.

ALSO READ TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE