The African Union has decided to suspend Guinea-Bissau from all its bodies in response to the military coup that ousted President Umaro Sissoco Embaló.
The decision came two days after the army announced the president’s removal and the suspension of the presidential and legislative elections held on November 23, whose results were expected soon.
The military authorities appointed Elidio Vieira Té, the former finance minister, as Prime Minister and Minister of Finance.
The coup triggered widespread international condemnation. UN Secretary-General António Guterres denounced it as a “violation of democratic principles,” while ECOWAS suspended Guinea-Bissau from all its decision-making bodies.
Guinea-Bissau has witnessed four coups since its independence from Portugal in 1974 and remains a major transit hub for drug trafficking between South America and Europe.
