Former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, is among African leaders and high-profile election observers stranded in Guinea-Bissau following a military coup on Wednesday. The seizure of power has left the delegation trapped as the country’s borders and airports were closed.
Jonathan was part of a 36-member delegation deployed by the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the West African Elders Forum (WAEF) to monitor Guinea-Bissau’s presidential election, which took place on Sunday.
The coup occurred after both presidential candidates incumbent Umaro Embaló, seeking re-election, and challenger Fernando Dias announced victory independently, despite the national electoral commission yet to release official results.
Following the takeover, the military suspended all airspace operations, grounded flights, and blocked national entry and exit points, effectively trapping the observer delegation and several top government officials.
In response, the AU-ECOWAS-WAEF joint mission expressed strong concern, describing the events as a serious disruption to the democratic process.
“It is regrettable that this announcement came at a time when the missions had just concluded meetings with the two leading presidential candidates, who assured us of their willingness to accept the will of the people,” the statement read.
The mission noted that the coup disrupted the confidence-building process with the candidates, who had previously shown openness to a peaceful and democratic election outcome.
The observers have called for immediate intervention by the African Union and ECOWAS to restore constitutional order. They also demanded the release of detained public officials following the military takeover.
The 36-member observer delegation had been scheduled to exit Guinea-Bissau on November 29, prior to the sudden disruption caused by the coup.
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