Nigerian embassy grants asylum to Guinea-Bissau opposition candidate after military coup: Report

By Mevlut Ozkan

ISTANBUL (AA) - Nigeria has granted asylum to Guinea-Bissau opposition presidential candidate Fernando Dias da Costa and provided him protection at its embassy in the capital Bissau, following alleged threats to his life after a military coup, local news website TheCable reported Monday, citing an official letter.

In a letter dated Nov. 30 to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission President Omar Touray, Nigeria's Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar said President Bola Tinubu had approved protection for Dias.

“In this regard, it would be appreciated if you would kindly mandate the ECOWAS Stabilization Support Mission in Guinea-Bissau (ESSMGB) to provide him protection and security while in the premises of the Nigerian embassy,” it said.

The letter's authenticity was confirmed to TheCable on Monday by Alkasim Abdulkadir, Tuggar’s special assistant on media and communications strategy.

Nigeria’s decision to grant asylum and protect Dias reflects its “sovereign responsibility and longstanding commitment” to regional peace, stability, and democratic governance, Abdulkadir said in a statement.

“Acting in the broader interest of de-escalation, Nigeria exercised its lawful discretion to prevent further deterioration of tensions and to promote social cohesion in Guinea-Bissau and the wider West African sub-region,” he said.

Nigeria’s asylum offer followed an announcement Wednesday by Guinea-Bissau military officers identifying themselves as the "High Military Command for the Restoration of National Security and Public Order," who declared they had deposed President Umaro Sissoco Embalo and seized power.

On Thursday, the High Military Command appointed Gen. Horta Inta-A as transitional president for one year, following a bloodless coup amid contested claims of victory in the Nov. 23 election.

Gen. Horta Inta-A appointed Finance Minister Ilidio Vieira Te as prime minister and formed a new government.

Both Dias and Embalo’s camps claimed victory in the election, as the country awaited official results, which were due to be released last week.

Embalo first fled to Senegal, then reportedly moved on to the Republic of Congo.

Nigeria expressed “profound dismay and deep concern” over the coup in a statement.

It warned that “those behind this act will be held accountable for their actions, which threaten to plunge the nation into chaos and reverse the hard-won gains of its democracy.”

The African Union and ECOWAS suspended Guinea-Bissau in response to the coup.

ECOWAS leaders, following an Extraordinary Virtual Summit, decided to send a mediation delegation to Guinea-Bissau to engage coup leaders on restoring constitutional order while reserving the right to impose sanctions

Julios Maada Bio, president of Sierra Leone and chairperson of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, said on US social media company X on Monday that he arrived in Guinea-Bissau “to engage with the military leadership regarding the current political situation.”