The Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Mahmoud Ali Youssouf announced the suspension of Guinea-Bissau’s membership following a military coup that overthrew President Umaro Sissoco Embalo.
Embalo who flew to Dakar on Thursday has left Senegal for the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville).
The AU commission decided to “suspend with immediate effect” Guinea-Bissau’s membership in all its bodies, Youssouf was quoted as saying on Friday.
The African Union (AU) had earlier condemned the coup in Guinea-Bissau three days after presidential and legislative elections, demanding the immediate and unconditional release of outgoing Mr Embalo who was detained in Bissau along with some government officials.
The military took full control of the country last Wednesday in addition to suspending the electoral process whose results were scheduled to be announced on Thursday.
It also announced the appointment of General Horta N’tam as the country’s interim president for a year.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres denounced the “unacceptable violation of democratic principles”.
Guinea-Bissau joins a number of other countries that suffered suspension by the AU following coups across the continent, including in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Sudan, and, more recently, Madagascar.
The West African regional bloc ECOWAS which has also suspended Guinea-Bissau from its embership, called on the Bissauguinean armed forces to return to barracks and announced it would send a high-level mediation mission to the country in the next few days.
MG/as/APA