Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan is currently trapped in Guinea Bissau following a sudden military takeover that has thrown the country into political uncertainty.
The coup comes just as election results were about to be officially announced.
Jonathan, who arrived in Bissau as head of the West African Elders Forum (WAEF) election observation team, alongside hundreds of foreign observers, was unable to leave the country after a group of military officers declared “total control” over Guinea Bissau.
The officers, calling themselves the “High Military Command for the Restoration of Order,” ordered the immediate suspension of the electoral process and imposed a curfew while closing all land, air, and sea borders.
The coup followed a tense electoral contest where two leading candidates, President Umaro Sissoco Embalo and Fernando Dias, each claimed victory.
Embalo confirmed his detention in a call to France24, stating, “I have been deposed and am currently at the general staff headquarters.” Domingos Simoes Pereira, head of the main opposition PAIGC party, was also arrested.
“The man supposed to protect the president himself has put the president under arrest,” noted Haque, a political analyst following the events.
Efforts by international observers to verify the safety of officials and secure exits from the country have been hampered, as communications were reportedly restricted.
Jonathan’s spokesman, Ikechukwu Eze, was unreachable, but former aide Ima Niboro confirmed that Jonathan, who recently turned 68, is safe despite being stranded. In a joint statement with other African leaders, Jonathan condemned the coup, calling it a “blatant attempt to disrupt the democratic process.”
The statement urged the African Union and ECOWAS to intervene and restore constitutional order, while calling on the people of Guinea Bissau to remain calm.
Jonathan had arrived in Guinea Bissau ahead of the presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for November 23, 2025, and had conducted visits to polling stations to observe the voting process.
He also paid a condolence visit to the family of the late former First Lady, Mrs. Isolina Da Fonseca Nhamajo, two days before the military takeover.
The situation remains tense as the world watches, with calls for immediate release of detained officials and a return to democratic governance.
