Deposed Guinea-Bissau president Umaro Sissoco Embaló has left Senegal and arrived in Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of Congo, days after a military coup removed him from power.
Embalo’s chief of staff, Califa Soares Cassama, confirmed on Saturday that the former leader is safe in the Congolese capital. Government sources in Brazzaville told AFP the ousted president landed in a private jet the same morning.
Sudden flight after disputed poll
Embalo fled to neighbouring Senegal on Wednesday shortly after military officers went on state television to declare they had taken “full control” of Guinea-Bissau. The announcement came only hours before the National Electoral Commission was scheduled to release provisional results of the presidential election held the previous Sunday.
Both Embalo and his main challenger, Fernando Dias, had already claimed victory in a vote marred by the exclusion of the historic opposition African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC). The decision to bar PAIGC from fielding a candidate drew sharp criticism as evidence of a wider crackdown on dissent. No results have been published since the coup.
New rulers move fast
In Bissau the military leadership wasted no time consolidating power. General Horta Inta-A, a close Embalo ally, was named transitional president while Ilidio Vieira Te, who served as finance minister under Embalo, became prime minister.
On Saturday the junta unveiled a 28-member government almost entirely composed of figures loyal to the deposed president, further fuelling suspicion that the takeover was staged with Embalo’s blessing – what some analysts are calling a “self-coup”.
Opposition headquarters raided
PAIGC condemned an “illegal invasion” of its Bissau headquarters by heavily armed militia groups on Saturday, describing the raid as an assault on democracy and the rule of law.
A long history of coups
Guinea-Bissau has endured at least nine successful or attempted coups since independence from Portugal in 1974. Chronic poverty, military rivalries and the country’s role as a transit hub for drug trafficking have repeatedly destabilised civilian rule.
International condemnation
The African Union suspended Guinea-Bissau membership on Saturday. The United Nations demanded an immediate return to constitutional order while the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is considering further measures.
Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko called the events a “sham” and insisted the electoral commission must be allowed to declare a legitimate winner.
Uncertain future
Embalo now joins a list of African leaders who have found temporary refuge in Brazzaville. For ordinary citizens in one of the continent’s most coup-prone nations, the familiar cycle of instability continues, with many wondering whether ballots will ever replace bullets as the final arbiter of power.
