The African Union has spoken out following Wednesday's coup in Guinea-Bissau. In a statement released on Thursday, November 27, the head of the organization's executive body, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, strongly condemned the power grab, which occurred "just as the country was preparing to announce the results of the general elections."

It is imperative to "respect the ongoing electoral process (currently in Guinea-Bissau)"

It "reaffirms the African Union's zero-tolerance policy towards any unconstitutional change of government and its firm rejection of such practices, in accordance with the Union's principal normative instruments, namely the Constitution of the African Union, the Lomé Declaration on Unconstitutional Changes of Government, the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance and the Ezulwini Framework."

For the Djiboutian, it is imperative to "respect the ongoing electoral process (currently in Guinea-Bissau) and to preserve the constitutional order, in accordance with the mandate of the National Electoral Commission (CEN), the only institution legally authorized to proclaim the official results of the elections in the country."

No sanctions for now

He also demanded "the immediate and unconditional release of President Embalo and all detained officials." He "urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint in order to avoid any further deterioration of the situation."

For now, the AU is refraining from taking a hard line. It says it is in "close coordination with ECOWAS and other key international partners" in order to "support all efforts aimed at restoring stability and preserving the democratic process through dialogue and legally sound mechanisms."