Former President Goodluck Jonathan has safely departed Guinea-Bissau following the military coup that toppled the government in the West African country.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed Jonathan’s departure, stating that he left on a special flight alongside members of his delegation.
“Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is very safe and out of Guinea-Bissau. He left with a special flight with members of his delegation, including Ibn Chambas,” the ministry’s spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said in a statement.
Jonathan, who leads the West African Elders Forum Election Observation Mission, had been in the country monitoring last Sunday’s presidential and legislative elections when the military announced a takeover.
On Wednesday, military officers in Guinea-Bissau declared they had assumed “total control” of the nation, suspending the electoral process and shutting the borders just three days after the polls.
General Denis N’Canha, head of the presidential military office, told journalists that a command structure “composed of all branches of the armed forces” had taken over leadership pending further notice.
The soldiers also arrested incumbent President Umaro Embalo, who had been widely considered a frontrunner in the election.
By Thursday, the military announced that the army’s chief of staff, General Horta N’Tam, had been appointed as the country’s new leader for a transitional period of one year.
