•Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Lagos office
Election observers from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) have raised concerns over the coup in Guinea-Bissau, asking the military authorities to release government officials detained during the incident.
The observers made the call in a statement signed by the Head of the West African Elders Forum and a former Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan; Head of the African Union Election Observation Mission and Former President of the Republic of Mozambique, Filipe Jacinto Nyusi; and Head of the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission, Issifu Baba Braimah Kamara.
While the election in the West African nation was peaceful and orderly, according to the observers, they expressed “deep concern with the announcement of a coup d’etat by the armed forces, while the nation was waiting for the announcement of the results, reports AFP.
“It’s regrettable that this announcement came at a time when the missions had just concluded a meeting with the two leading presidential candidates, who assured us of their willingness to accept the will of the people.
“We deplore this blatant attempt to disrupt the democratic process and the gains that have been achieved thus far. We request the African Union and the ECOWAS to take the necessary steps to restore constitutional order,” the observers wrote in the statement yesterday.
The observers called on the people of Guinea-Bissau to “remain calm, and we reaffirm our commitment to supporting the country on its democratic path, and in this respect, we underscore the importance of preserving peace, stability, and the well-being of the Bissau-Guinean people during this sensitive period.”
Military officers in Guinea-Bissau announced yesterday they were taking “total control” of the country while suspending its electoral process and closing its borders, three days after the poverty-stricken West African nation’s legislative and presidential elections.
In the early afternoon, General Denis N’Canha, head of the presidential military office, told members of the press that a command “composed of all branches of the armed forces, was taking over the leadership of the country until further notice”.
He read the announcement seated at a table and surrounded by armed soldiers.
Incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, who had been favoured to win Sunday’s election, was inside a building behind military headquarters, “with the chief of staff and the minister of the interior,” a senior officer told our correspondent on condition of anonymity.
Embalo later said he was arrested while he was inside the presidential palace.
Also arrested are the chief of staff, General Biague Na Ntan, deputy chief of staff General Mamadou Traore, and the interior minister, Botche Cande.
