International Desk (EFE).- A group of soldiers seized power in Guinea-Bissau on Wednesday, dissolving state institutions, suspending the ongoing electoral process and detaining President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, in a sudden takeover announced hours before provisional election results were due.
The self-styled Military High Command for the Restoration of National Order declared it had assumed “the full powers of the State” and ordered the closure of borders, the airspace and all media outlets “until further notice,” spokesman Gen. Denis N’Canha said at the Armed Forces headquarters in Bissau.
N’Canha confirmed the “immediate dismissal” of Embaló and the immediate suspension of Sunday’s presidential and parliamentary elections, in which both Embaló and rival Fernando Dias da Costa had claimed victory.
Troops stormed several radio stations in the capital and forced them off air, EFE confirmed with affected broadcasters. The commanders also imposed a nationwide curfew from 7:00 pm to 06:00 am.
The military said the coup responded to the “discovery of a destabilization plot” involving national politicians and “a well-known domestic and foreign drug baron,” allegedly aimed at manipulating the vote. “This plan was uncovered by state intelligence services,” N’Canha said.
Witnesses told EFE that residents near the electoral commission and the presidential palace fled to outlying neighborhoods after heavy gunfire erupted early Wednesday.
Local daily O Democrata reported that armed men entered the National Electoral Commission and attempted to attack the palace. Another local news outlet said Embaló confirmed he was detained around midday.
A country long marked by coups
Guinea-Bissau, a West African nation of just over two million people, has endured chronic instability since independence from Portugal in 1974, suffering four successful coups and numerous attempts.
Sunday’s vote had been described as peaceful and “democratic, free and participatory” by international observer missions, including the African Union.
But the process was overshadowed by the exclusion of key opposition figures, notably former prime minister Domingos Simões Pereira, barred for what authorities described as technical reasons.
Streets around the presidential palace and the nearby Portuguese Embassy were fully blocked Wednesday, with heavily armed soldiers preventing access by political leaders seeking refuge, O Democrata reported.
The country also sits on a major Atlantic drug-trafficking route between Latin America and Europe, making it strategically sensitive.
According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, at least 126.4 tons of cocaine were seized in West Africa or en route between 2019 and 2024.
Embaló: a President who campaigned on order
Embaló, 53, a former brigadier general with military studies in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, had campaigned for re-election promising “stability” and “continuity” in a country shaken by decades of political turmoil.
He won the 2019 election and began his term in 2020 after a disputed vote.
His presidency was marked by clashes with the opposition-controlled parliament, which he dissolved in 2023 citing an attempted coup. The Supreme Court later extended his mandate until Sep. 2024, allowing him to postpone elections to Nov. 23.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) attempted to mediate the political crisis earlier this year but withdrew after Embaló threatened to expel the mission.
During the campaign, Embaló pledged to crack down on international narcotrafficking networks, attract foreign investment and modernize cashew production, one of the country’s main exports.
His government argued he was the only candidate capable of maintaining order. “Guinea-Bissau cannot return to instability,” he said earlier this month.
The fate of the president and the next political steps remain unclear as the military junta consolidates control in one of Africa’s most coup-prone nations. EFE
int-seo/mcd
