The African Union (AU) has suspended Guinea-Bissau from all its bodies following a military coup that ousted President Umaro Embalo earlier this week.
AU chairman Mahamoud Youssouf confirmed the suspension on Friday, just hours after the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) imposed similar measures. ECOWAS’ Mediation and Security Council announced the move late Thursday after an emergency meeting chaired by Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio.
“The MSC decides… to suspend Guinea-Bissau from all ECOWAS decision-making bodies until the restoration of full and effective constitutional order,” the council said in a statement, citing its 2001 Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.
Coup and Power Shift
The coup unfolded three days after Guinea-Bissau’s disputed presidential and legislative elections. Military officers halted the electoral process, sealed the country’s borders, and blocked the release of results. They installed General Horta N’Tam, the army’s chief of staff, as interim leader for one year.
Embalo, initially detained by soldiers, fled to Senegal on Thursday. Opposition candidate Fernando Dias, who claims victory in the contested election, told AFP he remains in hiding inside the country.
International Condemnation
The takeover has drawn sharp criticism worldwide. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the coup as an “unacceptable violation of democratic principles.”
Guinea-Bissau, wedged between Senegal and Guinea, has a long history of instability. Since independence from Portugal in 1974, the nation has endured four coups and multiple failed attempts. Its elections are frequently disputed, and the country has become a hub for drug trafficking between Latin America and Europe, fueled by chronic political turmoil.
Wider Context
Guinea-Bissau now joins a growing list of African nations suspended by the AU after military takeovers, including Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Sudan, and Madagascar. Sanctions against Gabon were lifted earlier this year after the ouster of President Ali Bongo.
