Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, leading a regional election observation mission, was hastily escorted out of Guinea-Bissau by military personnel this week as the country descended into political chaos following a military takeover, sources confirmed Thursday.
Jonathan, who was in the West African nation as a key member of the joint observer team for the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the West African Elders Forum (WAEF), was moved under military protection as tensions escalated in the capital, Bissau.
The high-profile evacuation underscores the severity of the crisis, which saw armed military officers declare they had seized “total control” of the country, suspended the electoral process, and enforced a nationwide curfew. The move came three days after a fiercely contested presidential election, the results of which were pending.
The crisis prompted Nigeria’s House of Representatives to urgently call on the Federal Government to “activate all diplomatic means to secure Jonathan’s return” along with other Nigerians trapped in the country.
The military intervention followed an intense power struggle in which both incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and opposition candidate Fernando Dias claimed victory in the November 24 vote.
Embaló has since been reported arrested by the armed men. In a phone call to Jeune Afrique, the outgoing president confirmed his detention, stating he was arrested on Wednesday and had been “deposed” by the army chief of staff.
The military command justified its actions by claiming to have uncovered a plot involving “national drug lords” and the importation of weapons intended to destabilize the nation.
