Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has been stranded in Guinea-Bissau following a sudden military takeover that brought the West African nation to a standstill on Wednesday.
Jonathan, who had travelled to Bissau as part of an international delegation of election observers, is among hundreds of foreign nationals unable to leave the country after soldiers seized control and shut down all exit routes.
The former president arrived ahead of the general elections, which were conducted but whose results had not yet been officially declared. Tension escalated when both leading candidates — incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and opposition contender Fernando Dias — claimed victory, prompting uncertainty across the country.
Within hours, a group of senior soldiers identifying themselves as the High Military Command for the Restoration of Order announced they had taken “total control” of Guinea-Bissau. The junta suspended the electoral process “until further notice,” sealed all land, air, and sea borders, and imposed a nationwide overnight curfew.
Hundreds of observers, diplomats, and travellers who rushed to the airport following the coup announcement are now stranded, with no indication of when normal operations will resume.
Jonathan and other foreign observers remain in safe locations, though uncertainty continues to loom over the unfolding political crisis.
