The Heads of the African Union Election Observation Mission, the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission, and the West African Elders Forum have jointly condemned the military coup announced in Guinea-Bissau, warning that the development threatens the country’s democratic progress.
In a joint statement issued on Thursday, the leaders of the three missions expressed deep concern over the sudden intervention of the armed forces while the nation awaited the official results of the November 23 presidential and legislative elections.
The statement was signed by Filipe Nyusi, former President of Mozambique; Issifu Kamara, head of the ECOWAS mission; and Goodluck Jonathan, former Nigerian President who leads the West African Elders Forum.
The missions said they had observed an orderly and peaceful voting process across Guinea-Bissau, praising citizens for their strong civic participation and commending polling staff, security personnel and political party agents for their professionalism.
“We commend the people of Guinea-Bissau for their strong civic engagement and professionalism demonstrated throughout the voting process.
“Despite these encouraging developments, we express deep concern with the announcement of a coup d’etat by the armed forces, while the nation was waiting for the announcement of the results”, the statement read.
The observers noted that the coup announcement was made shortly after they held discussions with the two leading presidential candidates, both of whom had pledged to respect the will of the people and accept the election outcome.
“It is regrettable that this announcement came at a time when the missions had just concluded a meeting with the two leading presidential candidates, who assured us of their willingness to accept the will of the people,” they said.
They described the military action as a “blatant attempt to disrupt the democratic process and the gains that have been achieved thus far.”
They urged the African Union and ECOWAS to take all necessary steps to restore constitutional order in Guinea-Bissau and expressed alarm over reports that senior officials, including those overseeing the electoral process, had been arrested.
The armed forces, they said, must immediately release the detained officials to allow the electoral process to resume and reach its conclusion.
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The missions also appealed for calm among citizens, reaffirming their commitment to supporting Guinea-Bissau’s democratic journey.
“We underscore the importance of preserving peace, stability and the well-being of the people during this sensitive period,” the statement added.
Guinea-Bissau held presidential and legislative elections on November 23. Before results could be announced, a group of military officers declared that they had seized power, removed the president and suspended the electoral process.
