By Saidu Jalloh, Daily Scope Reporter
Umaro Sissoco Embaló, the ousted President of Guinea-Bissau, has been airlifted to Senegal following a diplomatic intervention led by ECOWAS Chairman and Sierra Leonean President, Julius Maada Bio. The operation took place on Thursday, one day after military forces seized power, halting the announcement of crucial presidential election results and detaining Embaló.
President Bio announced the successful release, expressing satisfaction with Embaló’s safe arrival in Senegal. The Senegalese Foreign Ministry confirmed that a chartered aircraft was dispatched to Guinea-Bissau for this repatriation mission.
The transfer follows an emergency virtual summit of ECOWAS Heads of State, where President Bio pledged to engage with the military leadership in efforts to restore constitutional governance in the nation.
In response to the crisis, ECOWAS has suspended Guinea-Bissau from its decision-making bodies and is actively pursuing resolution strategies. Earlier, Bio engaged in discussions with UN Secretary-General António Guterres regarding the escalating political turmoil.
The military’s takeover comes at a precarious time, just as authorities were about to release provisional election results. General Horta N’Tam, the newly appointed leader by the military, cited the intervention as necessary to protect democracy from a plot involving “drug lords” aiming to disrupt the constitutional order.
However, the legitimacy of the coup remains disputed. Fernando Dias da Costa, the primary opposition candidate, claims victory in the election and alleges that Embaló orchestrated the coup to prevent him from assuming office. Reports indicate Dias is currently in hiding after a failed attempt by armed personnel to detain him.
This coup represents a significant disruption for Guinea-Bissau, a country rife with political instability and a history of four coups since its independence from Portugal in 1974.
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