President Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) received the President of Guinea‑Bissau, Umaro Embalo, at the State House in Abuja on Friday. Embalo, who was on a courtesy visit to Nigeria, arrived at the Aso Rock Villa after the Council of State meeting, chaired by President Buhari, had concluded. He was welcomed with ceremonial performances by the Presidential Brigade of Guards, after which the two leaders entered a closed‑door session. A press conference that had been scheduled after the meeting was cancelled, and neither Buhari nor Embalo spoke to journalists.
The visit comes a year after Embalo’s administration narrowly escaped a coup attempt on 1 February 2022, when soldiers surrounded the building where he was holding a cabinet meeting and gunfire was heard. Since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974, Guinea‑Bissau has endured numerous coups, military revolts and political assassinations. The 2022 attempt was part of a broader resurgence of instability in West Africa over the past 32 months, during which civilian governments in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso were also toppled.
A day after the failed coup, Buhari phoned Embalo to congratulate him on “surviving the coup attempt.” He praised the loyal troops in Guinea‑Bissau for their patriotism and “spectacular victory” over disloyal elements of the military. Buhari also assured Embalo of Nigeria’s support, stating, “I look forward to working with you to strengthen the existing bilateral ties between our sisterly nations and the defence and promotion of democracy and its values throughout the sub‑region, and the entire continent.”
Comments are closed for this story.