Umaro Sissoco Embaló headed to Congo, aboard a plane chartered by the Congolese presidency, as Jeune Afrique writes today
The President of Guinea-Bissau deposed in Wednesday’s military coup, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, traveled to Congo, after initially seeking refuge in Senegal, the international press reports today.
Several media outlets are reporting that Embaló is already in Congo, having arrived in the country’s capital, Brazzaville, on the night of Friday, November 29th.
Umaro Sissoco Embaló headed to Congo, aboard a plane chartered by the Congolese presidency, as Jeune Afrique writes today.
The publication recalls that Sissoco Embaló had initially sought refuge in Dakar, Senegal, after the military took power in Bissau, on Wednesday, November 26th.
Jeune Afrique published an article that day in which Umaro Sissico Embaló himself confirmed to the publication that he had been deposed and detained by the military.
This Saturday, the same publication reports that it was found “from a reliable source close to the deposed President” that Embaló “left Dakar, Senegal, heading for Congo”.
“He arrived in Brazzaville on the night of Friday, November 29, aboard a plane chartered by the Congolese presidency”, reads the article, which adds that “he arrived accompanied by a dozen people”, including family members.
The same information is being disseminated by SeneNews, a Senegalese publication, which cites Confidentiel Afrique, a pan-African digital newspaper.
The newspaper writes that “after orchestrating a coup d’état and negotiating with some close military officers, including General Horta Inta-A, the new man in Bissau, just before the long-awaited announcement of the results of the November 23 general elections, the deposed president sought refuge in the Senegalese capital last Thursday.”
However, according to the article, Embaló has already gone to Congo, at his own request, who insisted “on leaving Dakar after a turbulent night”.
The newspaper writes that “the blunt statements made by the Prime Minister, Ousmane Sonko, before the Senegalese Parliament, this Friday, regarding the political situation in Guinea-Bissau, which he described as ‘clandestine schemes’, only worsened the situation”.
It is also said that Embaló asked the Congolese President to remove him from Senegal, where he was facing “strong pressure from all sides”, and informed the Senegalese President, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, of the decision to leave Senegal.
According to the publication, Embaló traveled to Brazzaville on a “private flight” chartered to transport him.
A group of military men took power in Guinea-Bissau, removed the outgoing President, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, who left the country, and suspended the publication of the results of the general elections on November 23.
General Horta Inta-A was sworn in as transitional President for a period of one year and appointed Ilídio Vieira Té, former minister of Embaló, as Prime Minister and Minister of Finance.
The elections, which took place without any incidents, were held without the participation of the main opposition party, the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), and its candidate, Domingos Simões Pereira, excluded from the dispute and who declared support for the opposition candidate Fernando Dias da Costa.
Simões Pereira was detained and the military’s seizure of power is being denounced by the opposition as a maneuver to prevent the dissemination of election results.
The military coup was condemned by the international community and Guinea-Bissau was suspended from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) until constitutional order is reestablished.
