Guinea-Bissau’s now deposed President, Umaro Sissoco Embaló has arrived in neighboring Senegal, finding refuge after being released by the military officers who overthrew his government earlier this week. Senegalese authorities confirmed his arrival on Friday.
The former army general, who assumed power in 2020, landed “safe and sound” in Dakar late Thursday aboard a chartered military flight, according to a statement released by the Senegalese foreign ministry.
Embaló’s transfer follows intense negotiations spearheaded by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The regional bloc intervened amid escalating tensions in the coup-prone nation to secure the release and safe passage of the ousted leader.
The upheaval marks yet another episode of political instability for Guinea-Bissau, which has endured multiple successful and attempted coups since achieving independence from Portugal in 1974. This latest military takeover is seen as a significant setback for the fragile democratic progress in the West African region.
