Embaló, the “Ousted” President of Guinea-Bissau, Arrives in Brazzaville Following Military Takeover
Umaro Sissoco Embaló, the former president of Guinea-Bissau, has landed in Brazzaville, just days after elections were halted by a military coup.
Days after being overthrown by a military coup, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, the expelled president of Guinea-Bissau, has arrived in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo. Speaking to Reuters under condition of anonymity, a source close to the former leader confirmed his arrival on Saturday.
Prior to the announcement of the outcomes of the presidential and legislative elections held over the weekend, the military took control of the country on Wednesday. The sudden takeover is just the latest development in the small Portuguese-speaking West African country’s history of political instability.
However, as previously reported by ARISE News, former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, who oversaw the West African Elders Forum (WAEF) Election Observer Mission to Guinea-Bissau, described the takeover as a “ceremonial coup” that Embaló personally engineered rather than a conventional military coup.
After being overthrown, Embaló first took a special jet from Bissau to neighboring Senegal. In the meantime, military commanders quickly established their authority by appointing Major-General Horta Inta-a as the nation’s interim president on Thursday.
AFP, citing local government officials, has verified Embalo’s presence in the Congolese capital.
As observers keep an eye on the transition and if Guinea-Bissau can regain constitutional order following yet another setback in its democratic trajectory, the situation there continues to garner worldwide attention.
Jonathan informed Nigerian President Bola Tinubu of the developments after returning to Abuja from Guinea-Bissau. Instead of calling the takeover a conventional military coup, Jonathan called it a “ceremonial coup” that Embaló personally planned.
Some might describe what transpired in Guinea Bissau as a palace coup. It wasn’t a palace takeover. I was trying to find the right word to describe it, but I was unsuccessful. For this reason, I referred to it as a ceremonial coup. “It was a ceremonial coup because the Head of State himself conducted the ceremony,” Jonathan stated, emphasizing the necessity for ECOWAS to work with the military to free opposition leaders and declare the election winner.
“The important thing is that the election was over and the results were nearly final,” he stated. In actuality, the results are known, and the most important thing is that the election’s winner be declared. Well, you can’t use force to remove the military because then people will die, but tell us who won the election.
I thus recommend that the ECOWAS leadership get in touch with the Guinea Bissau leadership. Engage them in conversation; they are human and understand the proper course of action. Initially, they released the opposition candidate since he did not declare himself the election winner and had committed no crimes. He wouldn’t have been arrested if he had done that since it would have been considered treason. Following the announcement of the results, the winner of the election should be sworn in as the nation’s president, provided the military concurs.
