Military officers in Guinea-Bissau have taken control of the country in what appears to be a coup, announcing on state television that they have assumed “total control” and detained President Umaro Sissoco Embaló.
In a broadcast from army headquarters, the group — calling itself the High Military Command for the Restoration of National Security and Public Order — declared borders closed and suspended the electoral process, which was still underway following Sunday’s presidential and legislative elections.
The move followed reports of gunfire near the presidential palace in Bissau earlier on Wednesday. President Embaló later confirmed to Jeune Afrique that he was arrested around 1 p.m. while working in his office, noting that no violence was used against him personally.
He said Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Biague Na Ntan, his deputy General Mamadou Touré, and Interior Minister Botché Candé were also detained during the takeover — which he described unequivocally as a coup d’état.
Tensions had been rising after both Embaló and opposition candidate Fernando Dias da Costa declared victory ahead of official results, which were expected to be announced Thursday. The coup comes just weeks after the arrest of top military officers accused of plotting to disrupt the election.
Guinea-Bissau, independent from Portugal since 1973, has experienced persistent political turbulence — including four successful coups and several failed attempts — marking yet another chapter in its long history of instability.
