Prominent Africans Call for Guinea-Bissau Election Results to Be Released Immediately
ECOWAS has been urged by a group of prominent Africans to make Guinea-Bissau’s election results public and to stop military meddling that endangers democracy.
The results of Guinea-Bissau’s presidential and legislative elections on November 23 should be made public immediately, according to a coalition of twenty prominent African statesmen, academics, civil society leaders, and former senior ECOWAS officials. They have warned that military meddling in the election process could jeopardize the country’s already precarious democracy.
The group called on ECOWAS to “demand the truth, protect the winner, and request the freeing of political actors being detained by the military junta” in a forcefully worded joint statement titled “Restoring Constitutional Order and the Rule of Law in Guinea-Bissau.”
Prominent human rights attorney Femi Falana (SAN), former Cabo Verdean President Pedro Pires, and former Foreign Minister José Brito were among the signatories. They claimed that the National Electoral Commission’s (CNE) acknowledgement that it was unable to continue compiling results because of pressure from security forces was the impetus for their intervention.
The CNE claimed in the statement that the military had attacked its headquarters, damaged or confiscated electoral records, and removed data from the eight areas of the nation that were needed to announce the final total. The intrusion, according to the group, was “a desperate attempt to destroy the archives” and sabotage the election.
The distinguished Africans denounced what they called a “staged coup” orchestrated by military officials supporting outgoing President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, who was running for reelection. They described Embaló’s military detention as “comic,” pointing out that he seemed exceptionally anxious to declare to the world that he had been overthrown before he left the country.
The statement said, “We are shocked by this brutal intrusion of the army aiming to interrupt an electoral process to which citizens of Guinea-Bissau… held high hopes.”
Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko allegedly criticized Embaló for leaving Senegal after he was first evacuated to Dakar by Senegalese President Diomaye Faye, calling the event a “sham coup.” According to recent rumors, Embaló moved to Morocco following a brief stay in Congo-Brazzaville and is reportedly getting ready to return with the help of loyalist military groups in order to regain power.
The group called on ECOWAS leaders to take “a bold move” to resolve the situation and reinstate constitutional authority in one of the most politically unstable states in West Africa at their upcoming meeting on December 14. They also applauded the bloc’s choice to send a fact-finding team under the direction of Julius Maada Bio, the president of Sierra Leone, who serves as its current chair.
Beyond ECOWAS, the statement urged the African Union, the UN, and the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) to take immediate action, pointing out that Guinea-Bissau’s instability poses a threat to a region already facing serious political and security issues.
By claiming that copies of the election tallies are still in existence and may be released “with coordinated international pressure,” the group emphasized that there is still time to save the nation’s democratic hopes.
The signatories warned that allowing military meddling would send a dangerous message that power in West Africa belongs exclusively to the strongest, saying, “As active members of civil society from across Africa, we cannot keep quiet in the face of such blatant violations.”
Africans and the international community were urged to oppose Guinea-Bissau’s “undemocratic manoeuvres” and to assist the nation in completing its electoral process and establishing long-lasting democratic institutions.
Prominent individuals from all over the continent supported the unified declaration, including:
·Pedro Pires, Former President of Cabo Verde
·José Brito, Former Foreign Minister, Cabo Verde
·Dr Abass Bundu, Former Executive Secretary, ECOWAS
·Ambassador Luis Fonseca, Former Secretary-General, CPLP
·Barr Femi Falana (SAN), Human Rights Activist
·Prof Jibrin Ibrahim, CDD-Nigeria
·Dr Kojo Asante, CDD-Ghana
·Human Rights Lawyer Fatou Jagne Senghore
·Prof Mahmoud Mamdani
·Prof Kwame Karikari
·Dr Alioune Tine
·Dr Gilles Yabi
And eight more from civil society, academia, the media, and diplomacy.
