KIGALI, Rwanda
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) suspended Guinea-Bissau on Thursday from its decision-making bodies in the wake of a military coup that ousted President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, according to a statement.
The decision of the bloc’s Mediation and Security Council (MSC) came after an Extraordinary Virtual Summit of Heads of State and Government held to discuss the current political situation in the country.
Chaired by ECOWAS Chairperson and Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio, the bloc expressed deep concern over the unfolding political crisis in Guinea-Bissau and urged the country’s armed forces to return to the barracks and maintain their constitutional role.
“The MSC decides in accordance with provisions of the ECOWAS protocols on Democracy and Good Governance 2001 to suspend Guinea-Bissau from all ECOWAS decision-making bodies until the restoration of full and effective constitutional order in the country,” the statement said.
Strongly condemning Wednesday’s military coup, the MSC called for the unconditional return of the country to constitutional order without delay.
“It rejects any arrangement that perpetuates the illegal abortion of the democratic process and the subversion of the will of the people of Guinea-Bissau,” the statement said.
To respect the will of the people, the bloc demanded that the coup leaders allow the National Electoral Commission to proceed without delay with the declaration of the results of the Nov. 23 presidential and legislative elections.
It also called for the immediate and unconditional release of all detained officials, including Embalo, electoral officials and other political figures. Embalo fled to Senegal on Thursday.
ECOWAS leaders will send a mediation delegation to Guinea-Bissau to engage the coup leaders on the possibility of the full restoration of constitutional order while reserving the right to use all available options, including sanction measures targeting entities deemed culpable of disrupting the country’s democratic process, according to the statement.
UN condemns coup
The United Nations also condemned the coup in a statement on Thursday.
Expressing the secretary-general’s “deep concern,” spokesperson Stephane Dujarric added that Antonio Guterres also “strongly condemns” the coup as well as “any attempt to violate constitutional order.”
Guterres, according to the statement, called for “the immediate and unconditional restoration of constitutional order, as well as the release of all detained officials.”
Embalo arrived “safe and sound” in Senegal aboard a government-chartered aircraft, Senegal’s Foreign Ministry said.
“An aircraft was chartered by the Government to travel to Bissau in order to assist in this repatriation operation. This allowed for the safe and sound arrival in Senegal of President Umaro Sissoco Embalo,” the ministry said in a statement.
Dakar said it has been in constant contact with Bissau-Guinean actors since the political crisis and coup, focusing on reopening borders to aid the repatriation of detainees and various electoral observation missions.
On Wednesday, in a statement broadcast on state television, a group of military officers identifying themselves as the “High Military Command for the Restoration of National Security and Public Order” announced that they had “assumed full powers of the state.”
The coup was staged as independent candidate Fernando Dias and incumbent President Embalo’s camps both claimed victory on Monday in the presidential election, as the country awaited the official results.
The High Military Command for the Restoration of National Security and Public Order appointed Gen. Horta Inta-A as the transitional president of Guinea-Bissau on Thursday.
Following his swearing in, Gen. Inta-A named Maj. Gen. Tomas Djassi as chief of the general staff of the armed forces, according to a decree on Thursday.
The military said that after an assessment of the current situation, movement restrictions and a nationwide curfew imposed in the wake of the coup will be lifted effective Friday and schools will resume immediately.
