BISSAU, Guinea-Bissau (AP) — Guinea-Bissau's main opposition candidate late Wednesday claimed victory in this week's hotly contested presidential election and accused the West African country's leader of staging a coup to avoid defeat.
Wednesday's military coup and reports of the arrest of President Umaro Sissoko Embalo were “fabricated” to undermine election results expected on Thursday, his rival Fernando Diaz said in a video posted online that echoed claims from civil society groups.
The Associated Press could not independently verify the claims made by Diaz, a member of the Social Renewal Party.
The opposition African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde was disqualified from the vote, prompting its leader, former Prime Minister Domingos Simões Pereira and runner-up in the 2019 election, to back Dias.
The party and Diaz called on residents to organize protests against the coup and demand the publication of election results. But activity appeared normal in the capital Bissau on Thursday morning, with business and public transport gradually returning.
Guinea-Bissau, one of the world's poorest countries, has been plagued by coups and attempted coups since its independence from Portugal more than 50 years ago, including an attempted coup in October. The country of 2.2 million people is known as a hub for drug trafficking between Latin America and Europe, a trend that experts say is exacerbating its political crises.
The reported coup is the latest in a wave of military coups in West Africa, where democracy was recently threatened by disputed elections that analysts say could embolden the military.
Shots were fired in the main city of Bissau on Wednesday, just days after a tense presidential election that Embalo and Diaz said they won.
In a scene that has become familiar in the region, military officers appeared on state television and said they had seized power. Embalo, who was seeking a rare second term, then told French media that he had been arrested while the election commission office was sealed.
Diaz, 47, said in the video that he escaped from custody “through the back door” after reports that soldiers had arrested him. He vowed to fight back.
“Umaro lost the election and instead of accepting the results, he fabricated a coup,” Diaz said. “We have again become the target of a fake coup d'état… We will liberate ourselves.”
This week's elections come at a critical moment for the African country as Embalo, a 53-year-old former army general, faces a crisis of legitimacy. The opposition said his term had long expired and refused to recognize him as president.
The officers who said they had overthrown the president cited “the discovery of an ongoing plan… to manipulate the election results,” according to spokesman Dinis N'Chama, who was accompanied by others during the televised statement.
“The scheme was created by some national politicians with the participation of a known drug lord, as well as domestic and foreign citizens,” N'Chama said.
Several international organizations and countries condemned the reported coup, and the United Nations said it was monitoring the situation “with deep concern.”
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Asadu reported from Abuja, Nigeria.
