Goodluck Jonathan, former president of Nigeria, has been unexpectedly trapped in Guinea-Bissau following a sudden military coup in the West African country. On 26 November 2025, a group of army officers seized control of state institutions in Guinea-Bissau, deposing and detaining incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, suspending the electoral process, closing all borders, and imposing …
Nigeria’s former president stranded in Guinea-Bissau coup
Goodluck Jonathan, former president of Nigeria, has been unexpectedly trapped in Guinea-Bissau following a sudden military coup in the West African country.
On 26 November 2025, a group of army officers seized control of state institutions in Guinea-Bissau, deposing and detaining incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, suspending the electoral process, closing all borders, and imposing a nationwide curfew.
Jonathan was in Bissau as head of a 36-member international delegation from the African Union (AU), ECOWAS, and the West African Elders Forum (WAEF), tasked with observing the recent presidential election.
With airports and land borders shut, Jonathan, along with dozens of other foreign dignitaries and election observers, remains stranded as uncertainty looms over the country’s political future.
The takeover has triggered sharp condemnation from regional and continental bodies; observer missions have called the coup a dangerous blow to the democratic process in Guinea-Bissau, demanding the swift restoration of constitutional order.
