Guinea-Bissau,
a country in West Africa, has descended into chaos. Prominent individuals and
foreign observers are totally stuck due to an abrupt military takeover. A
military junta currently rules the nation.
Goodluck
Jonathan, the former president of Nigeria, is among those who are unable to
depart. He was watching the election. It is also said that hundreds of other
international election observers are stuck within the nation.
On
a Wednesday, the dramatic situation started to develop swiftly. The "High
Military Command for the Restoration of Order" was the name given by the
military dictatorship. They declared in public that they had "total
control" of the country.
Panic
struck as soon as the coup was announced. Many onlookers hurried to the airport
in the hopes of taking off as soon as possible. However, all avenues out of the
nation were quickly blocked by security personnel. Many observers, including
former President Jonathan, were left perplexed by this.
Twenty-four
hours after a contentious presidential election, there was political unrest.
Umaro Sissoco Embaló, the current president, and Fernando Dias, his principal
opponent, had each declared victory independently. They took this action even
though the electoral commission had not yet published the official results. The
military probably had the chance to intervene because of this uncertainty.
In
a televised announcement, the coup leaders took their first significant action.
They said right away that the entire election process would be suspended. Additionally,
they announced that all air, sea, and land borders would be closed. They also
put everyone under a nightly curfew.
In
a phone conversation with France24, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, the deposed
president, confirmed the takeover. All he said was, "I have been
deposed." He further mentioned that he was being detained in the general
staff headquarters.
Political dissent was another objective of the
military. The leader of the main opposition PAIGC party, Domingos Simões
Pereira, has reportedly been taken into custody.
Guinea-Bissau is currently in a state of political uncertainty due to the abrupt military action. Former President Jonathan and other international observers are left waiting tensely for the borders to reopen so they can safely return home.
Source: Gist Ng
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