The Guinea-Bissau coup was called a ‘sham’ by West African politicians

Both Senegal’s prime minister and Nigeria’s former president have said they do not believe the ousting of Guinea-Bissau’s president by the country’s military was a genuine coup.

Former president Umaro Sissoko Mbalo was apparently ousted a day before the election results were announced.

Since then, the military has suspended the election process and prevented the release of the results, insisting on it A plot to destabilize a politically unstable country was foiled.

Senegal’s PM Ousmane Sonko and Nigeria’s former leader Goodluck Jonathan demanded the release of the presidential election results, but did not provide evidence to support claims that a coup had been staged.

The former president arrived in neighboring Senegal on a chartered military flight late Thursday, freed by the military forces that toppled his government.

Former Nigerian leader Jonathan, who led a team of election observers from the West African Elders Forum in Guinea-Bissau, said the incident was “not a coup”.

He described it as a “formal coup”, questioning the events that preceded Wednesday’s announcement of a military takeover.

He particularly wondered why President Mbalo was the first to announce his own ouster, contradicting how other leaders in the region had been ousted in recent coups.

Embalo phoned French TV station France 24 and said: “I have been deposed.”

Meanwhile, Senegal’s Sonko told MPs that “what happened in Guinea-Bissau is a sham”.

Statements by both men have added to opposition claims that a coup had taken place, although no one has so far produced evidence to back it up.

Mbalo has not commented on the allegations.

On Friday, Guinea-Bissau’s transitional leader, General Horta N’Tam, named Ilidio Vieira Tay, formerly finance minister, as the new prime minister.

Additionally, the African Union suspended Guinea-Bissau on Friday after an unconstitutional military takeover, AFP reports.

The West African bloc ECOWAS took similar action, calling on the military to return to barracks.

Guinea-Bissau is a coup-prone West African nation that is also strained by drug trafficking.

The military said it was using force to foil a plot by unidentified politicians “backed by well-known drug barons” to destabilize the country.

The mother-of-three told the BBC that it was not the first military coup she had experienced, but it came as a surprise as people were expecting to hear about the election results, which were estimated to have over 65% turnout.

“We heard gunshots. We ran away. We tried to pack our bags to go home,” she said.

Another resident of the capital Bissau said he was unhappy with the situation.

“It doesn’t help anyone. Because it creates chaos in the country,” Mohammad Silla told the BBC.

But reactions have been mixed, with some residents praising the troops and hoping for an orderly transition.

“I am not against the military regime as long as they do not improve the living conditions in the country,” Sankar Gassama told the BBC.