African Union suspends Guinea-Bissau after military coup

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) – The African Union suspended Guinea-Bissau following a military coup, saying it won’t tolerate unconstitutional changes.

In a resolution adopted by the AU Peace and Security Council on Friday, the organization reiterated it has “zero tolerance on unconstitutional changes of government” and moved to “immediately suspend the Republic of Guinea-Bissau from participating in all activities of the Union, its organs and institutions, until constitutional order is restored in the country.”

Guinea-Bissau, one of the world’s poorest countries, has been dogged by coups and attempted coups since its independence from Portugal more than 50 years ago, including a coup attempt in October. The country of 2.2 million people is known as a hub for drug trafficking between Latin America and Europe, a trend that experts say has fueled its political crises.

The West African regional bloc, known as ECOWAS, on Thursday suspended Guinea-Bissau from its decision-making bodies until the constitutional order is restored.

The military takeover on Wednesday came after presidential and legislative elections on Sunday. Incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and opposition candidate Fernando Dias each claimed victory.

Embalo arrived in neighboring Senegal on Thursday with a flight chartered by the Senegalese government.

Following the coup, the military high command in the West African nation inaugurated former army chief of staff, Gen. Horta Inta-a, as the head of the military government, which will oversee a one-year transition period, according to a declaration broadcast on state television.