In brief
Following the military's ousting of President Umaro Sissoco Embaló a day before the expected election results, prominent leaders in the region are questioning the authenticity of the coup. Senegal's Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan describe the event as a 'sham' and 'ceremonial coup' while pressing for the release of election results. Meanwhile, Guinea-Bissau's political landscape remains tense as the military establishes a transitional government amid allegations of a destabilization plot linked to drug trade.
Senegal's prime minister and Nigeria's former president have both said they do not believe the ousting of Guinea-Bissau's president by the country's military was a genuine coup.
Former President Umaro Sissoco Embaló's apparent removal came a day before authorities were due to announce election results.
The military has since suspended the electoral process and blocked the results' release, insisting it thwarted a plot to destabilise the politically unstable country.
Senegal's PM Ousmane Sonko and Nigeria's ex-leader Goodluck Jonathan demanded the presidential election results be released, but did not provide evidence to support their claims the coup was fabricated.
The ex-president arrived in neighbouring Senegal on a chartered military flight late on Thursday, following his release by the military forces who toppled his government.
Nigeria's former leader Jonathan, who led a team of election observers from the West African Elders Forum to Guinea-Bissau, said the incident was not a coup.
He described it as a ceremonial coup, questioning the events that preceded Wednesday's announcement of a power grab by the military.
Embaló has not commented on the allegations.
On Friday, Guinea-Bissau's transitional leader Gen Horta N'Tam appointed Ilidio Vieira Té, previously the finance minister, as the new prime minister.
Additionally, the African Union suspended Guinea-Bissau on Friday following the unconstitutional military takeover, while the West African bloc Ecowas urged the military to return to the barracks.
The military cited a plot involving unnamed politicians backed by a drug baron to justify their actions. Public sentiment is mixed, with some supporting the military to improve living conditions amid ongoing instability.
