Deposed Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embaló has reached neighboring Senegal after being released by the military forces that overthrew his government earlier this week, according to Senegalese officials.
The transfer came after negotiations led by the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, aimed at defusing growing tensions in Guinea-Bissau. Senegal’s foreign ministry confirmed that Embaló arrived safely on a chartered military plane late Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Guinea-Bissau military has appointed Gen. Horta N’Tam as the country’s new transitional leader, who is set to govern for a one-year period.
The coup occurred just one day before the provisional results of the nation’s presidential and parliamentary elections were due to be announced. The military immediately suspended the electoral process and blocked the release of results.
Officials claimed the takeover was intended to prevent a plot by unnamed politicians allegedly backed by a prominent drug trafficker, which they said threatened national stability. Following the coup, the military closed the country’s borders and imposed a nighttime curfew.
Guinea-Bissau, situated between Senegal and Guinea, has a long history of military influence since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974 and is a known hub for drug trafficking.
Both Embaló and his main rival, Fernando Dias, had declared victory in the recent presidential vote. Dias had the support of former Prime Minister Domingos Pereira, who had been barred from running.
According to government sources, Dias, Pereira, and Interior Minister Botché Candé were also detained. The junta has prohibited public demonstrations and any actions it deems threatening to peace and stability.
Tensions in the capital, Bissau, remained high on Thursday, with most markets and shops closed while soldiers patrolled the streets, AFP reported. Earlier that day, Gen. N’Tam, the army chief of staff, was sworn in as the country’s new leader, asserting that the military acted to prevent operations that could undermine democracy. Shortly afterward, the military reopened land, air, and sea borders that had been closed during the coup.
