The African Union and Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, as well as the West African Elders Forum, have condemned the suspension of presidential and legislative elections in Guinea-Bissau, followed by a military takeover.
In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, the electoral missions condemned what they called “a blatant attempt to disrupt the democratic process” in Guinea-Bissau.
The statement was signed by Filipe Nyusi, head of the African Union Election Observation Mission; Issifu Kamara, head of the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission; and Goodluck Jonathan, head of the West African Elders Forum.
The missions urged the AU and ECOWAS to take the necessary steps to restore constitutional order in Guinea-Bissau.
The statement read, “We express deep concern with the announcement of the coup d’état by the armed forces while the nation was waiting for the announcement of the results.
“It is regrettable that this announcement came at a time when the missions had just concluded meeting with the two leading presidential candidates, who assured us of their willingness to accept the will of the people.
“We deplore this blatant attempt to disrupt the democratic process and the gains that we have achieved thus far. We request the African Union and the ECOWAS to take the necessary steps to restore constitutional order.”
Guinea-Bissau went to the polls on Saturday, with both current president Umaro Embalo and opposition candidate Fernando Dias declaring victory.
However, military officers announced on Thursday that they were taking “total control of the country, suspending the electoral process, and closing its borders.”
In the early afternoon, General Denis N’Canha, head of the presidential military office, informed the press that a command “composed of all branches of the armed forces, was taking over the leadership of the country until further notice.”
He read the statement while seated at a table, flanked by armed guards.
In his declaration, N’Canha claimed to have discovered a scheme to destabilize the country “involving national drug lords” that involved “the introduction of weapons into the country to alter the constitutional order.”
He stated that military forces had banned “all media programming” and imposed a strict curfew in addition to suspending “the entire electoral process.”
In their statement following the military takeover, the AU and ECOWAS missions expressed disappointment that the military announcement came so soon after meeting with the two main presidential contenders and extracting their commitments to follow the decision of the people.
They also requested that the Armed Forces quickly free the detained electoral commission personnel so that the election process could be completed.
The statement read, “We express concern about the arrests of top officials, including those who are in charge of the electoral process. In this regard, we urge the armed forces to immediately release the detained officials to allow the country’s electoral process to proceed to its conclusion.
“We call on the people of Guinea-Bissau to remain calm, and we affirm our commitment to supporting the country on its democratic path, and in this respect, we underscore the importance of preserving peace, stability, and the well-being of the Bissau-Guinean people during this sensitive period.”
Since its independence, the West African country has experienced four coups and numerous attempted coups.
