By: Abdoulie John
Embattled Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embaló has arrived in Dakar, Senegal, seeking refuge just hours after a military coup abruptly halted the country’s electoral process and forced him from power.
Senegal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed in a late-night statement that President Embaló landed in the Senegalese capital Thursday evening aboard a private aircraft. The announcement followed an emergency virtual summit of ECOWAS Heads of State convened to address the escalating crisis in Bissau.
“Following consultations and in a spirit of African solidarity, His Excellency President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has agreed to grant temporary refuge to President Umaro Sissoco Embaló while regional mediation efforts continue,” the Senegalese statement read.
Sources in Dakar say the decision was made personally by President Faye after intense diplomatic exchanges with ECOWAS mediators and Guinea-Bissau’s military junta, which seized control Wednesday night, citing “electoral irregularities and threats to national stability.”
The dramatic turn ends weeks of mounting tension in Guinea-Bissau, where Embaló’s controversial decision to dissolve parliament and call snap elections had already sparked widespread protests. Thursday’s coup, led by senior army officers, suspended the constitution and placed the president under house arrest—until his apparent escape across the northern border.
ECOWAS has condemned the takeover as “unconstitutional” and threatened sanctions, while urging all parties to prioritize dialogue. Senegal’s swift acceptance of Embaló signals Dakar’s intent to play a central mediating role in what is now the region’s latest political firestorm.
As West African leaders scramble to prevent further instability, the streets of Bissau remain tense under military control, with the fate of Guinea-Bissau’s fragile democracy hanging in the balance.
