Nigeria Grants Asylum To Guinea Bissau Opposition Leader

Fernando Dia Da Costa

Nigeria has granted peculiar extortion to Guinea Bissau absorption statesmanlike campaigner Fernando Dias da Costa pursuing reported threats to his life, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed Monday.

President Bola Tinubu approved da Costa’s placement nether extortion wrong the Nigerian Embassy successful Bissau, according to a missive dated 30 November addressed to Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission President Omar Alieu Touray. Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar signed the correspondence, which outlined the government’s presumption connected the processing crisis.

Da Costa had competed against incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embalo successful statesmanlike elections held connected 23 November. Both candidates claimed triumph earlier results could beryllium officially announced. Military officers seized powerfulness connected 26 November, conscionable hours earlier the electoral committee was expected to merchandise authoritative results.

Brigadier General Dinis Incanha, caput of the statesmanlike subject office, led the takeover. The officers formed the High Military Command for the Restoration of National Security and Public Order, announcing they had assumed full power of the country. They claimed to beryllium preventing a crippled to manipulate predetermination results orchestrated by politicians and a known cause trafficker.

General Horta Inta A Na Man was installed arsenic transitional president connected 27 November for a 1 twelvemonth period. President Embalo, who had besides been arrested during the coup, was aboriginal allowed to permission for Senegal.

The Nigerian government’s missive stated that Tinubu’s determination responds to credible threats against da Costa and reflects the country’s committedness to safeguarding antiauthoritarian processes successful the region. Nigeria requested ECOWAS to nonstop its Stabilisation Support Mission successful Guinea Bissau (ESSMGB) to supply further information for da Costa astatine the embassy.

Alkasim Abdulkadir, peculiar adjunct to the overseas curate connected media and communications, verified the letter’s authenticity. He emphasized that Nigeria acted wrong its sovereign work and longstanding committedness to determination bid and antiauthoritarian governance.

Da Costa claimed helium escaped custody done a backmost doorway aft soldiers reportedly came to apprehension him. He has publically stated his content that Embalo fabricated the coup to debar announcing an predetermination defeat.

ECOWAS suspended Guinea Bissau from each determination making bodies connected 28 November pursuing an exigency virtual acme of heads of state. The determination bloc condemned the subject takeover and demanded unconditional merchandise of each detained officials. The African Union besides suspended Guinea Bissau, emphasizing zero tolerance for unconstitutional changes.

ECOWAS appointed a precocious level mediation ngo comprising Presidents Faure Gnassingbe of Togo, Jose Maria Neves of Cabo Verde, and Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal. The delegation arrived successful Bissau connected Monday for talks with coup leaders connected restoring law order.

Guinea Bissau has experienced 9 coups oregon attempted coups since gaining independency from Portugal successful 1974. The West African federation of 2.2 cardinal radical is known arsenic a large transit hub for cocaine trafficking betwixt Latin America and Europe, a origin analysts accidental has fueled governmental instability.