The Nigerian embassy in Guinea-Bissau has granted asylum to the country’s opposition presidential candidate, Fernando Dias da Costa, over alleged threats to his life.
This is coming after military officers announced a coup in the Portuguese-speaking West African nation last Wednesday.
DAILY POST reports that military authorities in Guinea-Bissau declared that they had assumed full control of the country.
They also announced the suspension of all electoral activities and an immediate closure of national borders.
However, they later reopened the borders.
The West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS has suspended Guinea-Bissau from its decision-making bodies until the constitutional order is restored.
The African Union has also suspended Guinea-Bissau following a military coup, saying it won’t tolerate unconstitutional changes.
In a resolution adopted by the AU Peace and Security Council, the organisation reiterated it has “zero tolerance on unconstitutional changes of government.” It moved to “immediately suspend the Republic of Guinea-Bissau from participating in all activities of the Union, its organs and institutions, until constitutional order is restored in the country.”
Guinea-Bissau, one of the world’s poorest countries, has been dogged by coups and attempted coups since its independence from Portugal more than 50 years ago, including a coup attempt in October.
Credit: dailypost.ng
