Guinea-Bissau has plunged into political turmoil as President Umaro Sissoco Embalo announced that he was arrested inside the presidential palace during what he described as a military-led “coup d’etat.”
Also detained were key officials, including Chief of Staff General Biague Na Ntan, Deputy Chief of Staff General Mamadou Traore, and Interior Minister Botche Cande. Embalo stated that no force was used against him during the takeover, which he claims was orchestrated by the army chief of staff.
Reporters on the ground reported gunfire near the National Electoral Commission headquarters and surrounding areas. The country has been awaiting results from the November 23 presidential election, in which both Embalo and opposition candidate Fernando Dias de Costa have claimed first-round victory. Embalo had previously asserted that he won 65% of the votes.
Military Takeover
Military officers announced they were taking “total control” of Guinea-Bissau, closing borders and suspending the electoral process three days after the nation’s legislative and presidential elections.
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Brigadier General Denis N’Canha, head of the presidential military office, addressed the press, stating that a command “composed of all branches of the armed forces, was taking over the leadership of the country until further notice.” He alleged that a destabilisation plan involving national drug lords and the introduction of weapons had been uncovered, aiming to alter the constitutional order.
The military also suspended all media programming and imposed a mandatory curfew. Guinea-Bissau, one of the world’s poorest nations, has a long history of political instability, coups, and attempted takeovers. The country is also known as a hub for drug trafficking between Latin America and Europe, a situation exacerbated by its recurring governance crises.
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