Guinea-Bissau coup called a ‘sham’ by West African political figures

Senegal’s prime minister and former Nigerian president said they did not believe the overthrow of Guinea Bissau’s president by the country’s military was a real coup.

The apparent dismissal of former President Umaru Sissoko Embalo came one day before the authorities announced the election results.

Since then, the army has suspended the electoral process and prevented the announcement of the results, and insisted on doing so A plot to destabilize the politically unstable country was foiled.

Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and former Nigerian leader Goodluck Jonathan called for the results of the presidential elections to be published, but did not provide evidence to support their claims that the coup was fabricated.

The former president arrived in neighboring Senegal on a chartered military flight late Thursday, after he was released by the military forces that overthrew his government.

Former Nigerian President Jonathan, who led a team of election observers from the West African Elders Forum to Guinea Bissau, said the incident “was not a coup.”

He described it as a “ceremonial coup,” questioning the events that preceded Wednesday’s announcement of the army’s seizure of power.

He specifically asked why President Embalo was the first to announce his ouster, and compared this to how other leaders in the region have been toppled in recent coups.

Embalo telephoned French television station France 24 and said: “I have been isolated.”

Meanwhile, Senegalese Sonko told lawmakers that “what happened in Guinea-Bissau was just a hoax.”

The two men’s statements add to the opposition’s claims that the coup was planned, although no evidence has yet been provided to support this.

Embalo did not comment on these allegations.

Guinea-Bissau’s transitional leader, General Horta Ntam, on Friday appointed Elidio Vieira T, a former finance minister, as the new prime minister.

In addition, the African Union suspended Guinea-Bissau’s membership on Friday following the unconstitutional military coup, AFP reported.

The ECOWAS bloc in West Africa took similar action, while urging the army to return to its barracks.

Guinea Bissau is a West African country prone to coups and also suffers from drug trafficking.

The army said it was seizing power to thwart a plot hatched by unnamed politicians who received “support from a known drug baron” to destabilize the country.

The mother of three told the BBC that this was not her first military coup, however it came as a surprise because people were expecting to hear the results of the election, in which voter turnout was estimated at more than 65%.

“We heard gunfire. We ran away. We tried to pack our bags to go home,” she said.

Another resident of the capital, Bissau, said he was not happy with the situation.

“This doesn’t help anyone,” Mohamed Sylla told the BBC. “Because it puts the country in a state of chaos.”

But reactions were mixed, with some residents praising the army and expressing hope for an orderly transition.

Sankar Gassama told the BBC: “I am not against the military regime as long as it works to improve living conditions in the country.”