Guinea-Bissau’s deposed President Embalo arrives in Senegal after coup | Military News

Senegal’s foreign ministry says Oumar Sissoko Embalo arrived in the country a day after he was ousted in a military coup.

Guinea-Bissau’s ousted president, Oumar Sissoko Embalo, has arrived in Senegal, the country’s Foreign Ministry has confirmed, a day after he seized power in Guinea-Bissau in a coup by a group of military officers.

Senegal’s foreign ministry said in a statement Thursday night that Emballo had arrived in Senegal after authorities held talks with actors in Guinea-Bissau in an effort to secure his release.

It said Embalo arrived in Senegal on a plane chartered by the Senegalese government.

“The Government of the Republic of Senegal reaffirms its readiness to work with ECOWAS, the African Union and all relevant partners with the aim of supporting dialogue, stability and the rapid restoration of constitutional order and democratic legitimacy in this brotherly nation,” the statement said.

Embalo was ousted on Wednesday after military authorities announced they had seized “complete control” of Guinea-Bissau ahead of the expected release of presidential election results in the West African nation.

Embalho was competing for re-election against his main rival, Fernando Dias. Both had declared victory even before the provisional results were released.

But the main opposition PAIGC party was blocked from presenting a presidential candidate, drawing criticism from civil society groups who said the election was illegal.

Dubbing themselves the “High Military Command for the Restoration of Order”, military officials read a statement on television on Wednesday, announcing that they had ordered the immediate suspension of the electoral process “until further notice”.

He also ordered the closure of Guinea-Bissau’s borders and imposed an overnight curfew.

On Thursday, General Horta Inta-e was sworn in as the country’s transitional president, defending the military takeover, saying there was “enough (evidence) to justify the operation”.

But the coup – one of several to occur in Guinea-Bissau since the country gained independence from Portugal in 1974 – has caused widespread concern, including among regional bodies.

The chair of the African Union Commission on Thursday condemned the situation and called for the immediate and unconditional release of Mbalo and all other detained officials.

Mahmood Ali Yusuf also urged all parties to exercise utmost restraint to prevent the situation from worsening.