Guinea-Bissau’s deposed President, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, has arrived in Senegal after being detained during a military coup in his country, the Senegalese government confirmed on Thursday.
Meanwhile, a leading opposition figure has accused Embalo of orchestrating the coup to prevent his rival from assuming office, as the political crisis in Guinea-Bissau deepens.
The Senegalese foreign ministry issued a statement confirming that Embalo was flown into Senegal on a government-chartered military plane, arriving “safe and sound” after his detention by the military in Bissau.
The coup, which took place on Wednesday, came just one day before authorities were due to announce the provisional results of the presidential and parliamentary elections.
On Thursday, Guinea-Bissau’s military appointed General Horta N’Tam, the chief of staff of the army, as the new leader of the country for a period of one year.
N’Tam, who had been close to Embalo in recent years, took the oath of office at the military headquarters, declaring, “I have just been sworn in to lead the High Command.”
This marks a dramatic shift in power after the military seized control and derailed the electoral process, halting the announcement of election results that had been anticipated on Wednesday.
Opposition Candidate Claims Victory, Accuses Embalo Of Power Grab
Opposition candidate, Fernando Dias da Costa, who was Embalo’s primary challenger, has alleged that Embalo orchestrated the coup to prevent him from taking office.
Dias, who claimed to have won Sunday’s election with approximately 52 per cent of the vote, insisted that there had been no coup but rather an organised power grab by the incumbent.
“I am the president (elect) of Guinea-Bissau,” Dias told AFP by telephone. He further claimed, “There wasn’t a coup. It was organised by Mr Embalo.”
Dias, who was reportedly in hiding after escaping from his campaign headquarters when armed men came to arrest him, expressed confidence in his electoral victory despite Embalo’s claims of having won the election.
Domingos Simoes Pereira, the leading opposition candidate whom the Supreme Court had barred from standing in the election, supported Dias after his disqualification. The military arrested Pereira on Wednesday.
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