Observers from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) have expressed deep concern following a military takeover in Guinea-Bissau and the arrest of several election officials.
The joint observer mission said in a statement on Wednesday that the development threatens the integrity of the country’s electoral process. Earlier in the day, a group of army officers announced they had seized power, just 24 hours before the official release of the highly anticipated presidential election results.
“It is regrettable that this coup announcement came at a time when the mission had just concluded meetings with the two leading presidential candidates, both of whom had expressed their commitment to accept the will of the people,” the observers said.
The delegation, which included former Mozambican President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi and former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, called on regional bodies to take urgent measures to restore constitutional order.
ECOWAS and AU observers also urged the military to release the detained election officials immediately so the electoral process can continue without further obstruction.
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