Guinea-Bissau coup was a sham, West African political figures say

Senegal's prime minister and Nigeria's former leader say they do not believe the military takeover was genuine.

Watch LiveBritish Broadcasting CorporationHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveDocumentariesHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationWatch DocumentariesTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureWatch DocumentariesFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsWatch DocumentariesArts in MotionTravelWatch DocumentariesDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListTo the Ends of the Earth EarthWatch DocumentariesNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcast CategoriesRadioAudio FAQsVideoWatch DocumentariesBBC MaestroLiveLive NewsLive SportDocumentariesHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveDocumentariesWeatherNewslettersWatch LiveGuinea-Bissau coup was a sham, West African political figures say17 hours agoShareSavePaul NjieBBC AfricaShareSaveAFP via Getty Images)Umaro Sissoco Embaló - seen here voting in Guinea-Bissau's presidential elections last month - is now in neighbouring SenegalSenegal's prime minister and Nigeria's former president have both said they believe the ousting of Guinea-Bissau's president this week was staged.

Umaro Sissoco Embaló's apparent removal by the military on Wednesday came a day before authorities were due to announce election results.

The military has since suspended the electoral process and blocked the release of the results, insisting it thwarted a plot to destabilise the politically unstable country.

Senegal's PM Ousmane Sonko and Nigeria's ex-leader Goodluck Jonathan did not provide evidence to support their claim that the coup was fabricated. Embaló has previously faced accusations of using crises to quash dissent.

Some local civil society groups have accused Embaló of masterminding a "simulated coup" against himself with the help of the military, saying it was a ruse to block election results from coming out in case he lost.