Goodluck Jonathan is safe, out of Guinea-Bissau — FG
By Jeffrey Agbo
The Federal Government on Thursday confirmed that former President Goodluck Jonathan is safe and has departed Guinea-Bissau following the military coup that ousted the country’s government.
Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, disclosed this in an interview with journalists in Abuja.
“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 led the West African Elders Forum Election Observation Mission, had travelled to Guinea-Bissau to monitor last Sunday’s presidential and legislative elections before the military announced it had taken control.
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 Economic Community of West African States Election Observation Mission; and Jonathan condemned the coup, describing it as a direct attempt to derail Guinea-Bissau’s democratic process.
They urged citizens to remain calm and reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the nation “during this sensitive period,” underscoring “the importance of preserving peace, stability, and the well-being of the Bissau-Guinean people.”
The Federal Government also denounced the coup, warning that it posed a grave threat to democracy and regional peace.
In a statement issued Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it received news of the development “with profound dismay and deep concern,” criticising the coup for resulting in “an unconstitutional change of government in the Republic of Guinea-Bissau.”
The ministry described the action as a violation of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.
Guinea-Bissau descended into chaos on Wednesday after military officers declared they had taken “total control” of the country, shutting its borders and halting electoral activities. Heavy gunfire erupted near the presidential palace, and troops blocked key access routes.
General Denis N’Canha, head of the presidential military office, announced that a command “composed of all branches of the armed forces was taking over the leadership of the country until further notice.”
In a phone interview with France24, incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embalo stated, “I have been deposed.”
He was reportedly inside a building behind the military headquarters “with the chief of staff and the minister of the interior,” according to AFP.
Both Embalo and opposition candidate Fernando Dias had claimed victory in Sunday’s elections, with provisional results expected on Thursday.
The military alleged it had uncovered a plot involving “national drug lords” and the importation of weapons “to alter the constitutional order.”
Later on Thursday, the military announced that borders had been reopened. “All borders are now open,” General Lansana Mansali, Inspector General of the Armed Forces, told AFP.
Over 6,700 security personnel, including members of the ECOWAS Stabilisation Force, were deployed for the elections amid heightened political tensions. Guinea-Bissau, one of the poorest nations in the world, has experienced several coups, including four successful ones, since gaining independence.
