West African politicians call Guinea-Bissau coup a ‘hoax’

Senegal’s prime minister and Nigeria’s former president have both said they do not believe the ouster of Guinea-Bissau’s president by the country’s military was a true coup.

The apparent ouster of former president Umaro Sissoko Embalo came just a day before authorities announced the results of the election.

The military has since suspended the electoral process and prevented the results from being announced, insisting Plots to destabilize a politically unstable country were thwarted.

Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and former Nigerian leader Goodluck Jonathan have called for the results of the presidential election to be released without providing evidence to support their claims that the coup was fabricated.

The former president arrived in neighboring Senegal late Thursday on a chartered flight after being freed by the forces that overthrew his government.

Former Nigerian leader Jonathan, who led the West African Elders Forum election observer team to Guinea-Bissau, said the incident was “not a coup”.

He described it as a “ceremonial coup” and raised questions about the events that preceded Wednesday’s announcement that the military had seized power.

In particular, he wanted to know why President Embalo was the first to announce his overthrow, contrasting it with other leaders in the region who were ousted in recent coups.

Embalo called French television station France 24 and said: “I have been deposed.”

Senegal’s Sonko, meanwhile, told lawmakers that “what is happening in Guinea-Bissau is a sham”.

The pair’s statements further strengthened opposition claims that the coup was staged, although so far there has been no evidence to support this.

Embalo has yet to comment on the allegations.

Guinea-Bissau’s transitional leader General Horta Ntam named former finance minister Ilidio Vieira Te as its new prime minister on Friday.

Separately, the African Union suspended activities in Guinea-Bissau on Friday following an unconstitutional military takeover in the country, AFP reported.

The West African bloc Economic Community of West African States took similar action while urging troops to return to their barracks.

Guinea-Bissau is a coup-prone West African country also troubled by drug trafficking.

The military said it took power to thwart plots by unnamed politicians who were “backed by known drug lords” and aimed at destabilizing the country.

One mother-of-three told the BBC this was not the first military takeover she had experienced, but it was nonetheless surprising as people expected to hear the election results, with voter turnout estimated at over 65%.

“We heard gunshots. We ran away. We tried to pack up and go home,” she said.

Another resident of the capital Bissau said he was unhappy with the situation.

“This will not help anyone. Because it will plunge the country into chaos,” Mohammed Sirah told the BBC.

But reactions were mixed, with some residents praising the military and hoping for an orderly transition.

Suncar Gassama told the BBC: “I have nothing against the military regime as long as they improve living conditions in the country.”