The Heads of the African Union Election Observation Mission, ECOWAS Election Observation Mission, and the West African Elders Forum have expressed concern over the announcement of a coup d’etat by the armed forces of Guinea-Bissau.
The heads of the missions and forum made this known in a joint statement on Thursday against the backdrop of the post-election situation in the country.
The statement was signed by Filipe Nyusi, former President of Mozambique, Issifu Kamara, and a former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, respectively.
They noted the orderly and peaceful conclusion of the voting process for the presidential and legislative elections and decried the disruption of the process by the military.
They noted, “We commend the people of Guinea-Bissau for their strong civic engagement, and professionalism demonstrated by polling staff, security personnel, presidential candidates’ and party agents, 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.
“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. We deplore this blatant attempt to disrupt the democratic process and the gains that have been achieved thus far.”
They asked the African Union and the ECOWAS to take the necessary steps to restore constitutional order in the country.
They further expressed concerns over the arrests of top officials including those who were in charge of the electoral process, urging the armed forces to immediately release the detained officials.
This, according to them, was to allow the country’s electoral process to proceed to its conclusion.
“We call on the people of Guinea-Bissau to remain calm, and we reaffirm our commitment to supporting the country on its democratic path. We underscore the importance of preserving peace, stability and the well-being of the people during this sensitive period,” they added.
Presidential and legislative elections were held in Guinea-Bissau on November 23.
While the nation was waiting the announcement of the election results, a group of military officers declared that they had seized power.
They announced the removal of the president and suspension of the electoral process.
(NAN)