Former Nigerian President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and dozens of high-profile African observers are currently stranded in Guinea-Bissau after military officers staged a coup d’état on Wednesday, seizing power and suspending the country’s electoral process.
Jonathan is part of a 36-member joint international observation mission deployed by the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the West African Elders Forum (WAEF) to monitor Sunday’s presidential run-off election.
The military intervention came amid rising tension after both incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, who is seeking a second term, and his main challenger, Domingos Simões Pereira, prematurely declared victory even though the National Elections Commission (CNE) had not announced official results.
Heavy gunfire was reported in the capital Bissau as soldiers took control of key government institutions, dissolved the parliament, and announced the suspension of the constitution.
The coup leaders have imposed a nationwide curfew and closed the country’s borders, leaving the international observers, including the former Nigerian leader, unable to depart.
ECOWAS and the African Union have strongly condemned the military takeover, describing it as a “serious setback for democracy” in the region, and called for an immediate return to constitutional order.
Efforts are underway by both regional bodies to ensure the safety and evacuation of the stranded delegation, including Dr. Jonathan, as the political crisis in the small West African nation deepens.
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