The Federal Government has confirmed that former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is safe and has departed Guinea-Bissau following the military coup that toppled the country’s government.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, disclosed this in an interview with journalists in Abuja on Thursday.
According to him, “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 Mohamed Chambas.”
Jonathan had led the West African Elders Forum Election Observation Mission to monitor last Sunday’s presidential and legislative elections in the country.
The military takeover abruptly halted Guinea-Bissau’s democratic process, sparking widespread concern across the West African sub-region and raising fresh fears about threats to regional stability.
In a joint statement on Wednesday, former Mozambican president Filipe Nyusi, head of the African Union Election Observation Mission; Issifu Kamara, head of the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission; and Jonathan condemned the coup, describing it as a direct attempt to derail the nation’s democratic transition.
They appealed for calm, reaffirming their readiness to support Guinea-Bissau “during this sensitive period,” while stressing “the importance of preserving peace, stability, and the well-being of the Bissau-Guinean people.”
