General Horta N’Tam was sworn in as Guinea-Bissau transitional president on Thursday, one day after military officers overthrew President Umaro Sissoco Embalo in the latest coup to hit the troubled West African nation.
Military takes oath amid election chaos
The swearing-in ceremony took place at army headquarters in Bissau, where N’Tam, the former armed forces chief of staff, took the oath before senior officers.
“I have just been sworn in to lead the High Command,” N’Tam declared after the brief ritual. He said the takeover was backed by “sufficient evidence” and called for broad participation in urgent measures to restore order.
Gunfire heralds swift takeover
The military intervention began on Wednesday when sustained gunfire echoed around the presidential palace, the national election commission headquarters and the interior ministry.
Officers styling themselves the High Military Command for the Restoration of Order later announced on state television that they had taken “total control”, closed borders and airspace, and imposed a night curfew.
Brigadier General Denis N’Canha, who until Wednesday headed the presidential military office, read the statement. Observers noted the irony that the officer tasked with protecting Embalo had become the public face of his removal.
Deposed president confirms arrest
Embalo, in office since 2020, told France 24 by telephone: “I have been deposed.” He said he was being held at military headquarters but was being treated well.
Reports from Bissau and neighbouring Senegal confirmed Embalo was under arrest alongside prominent figures including Domingos Simões Pereira, leader of the main opposition African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC).
Some accounts said Fernando Dias, Embalo’s main challenger in the presidential race, had also been detained.
Coup erupts days before results due
The takeover came against the backdrop of a bitterly contested election on 23 November that covered both the presidency and the National People’s Assembly. Provisional results had been expected on Thursday.
Both Embalo, 51, and Dias, a 47-year-old political newcomer, declared victory on Tuesday, deepening tensions in a country long plagued by instability.
Bissau quiet but on edge
By Thursday the capital was calm yet tense. Soldiers patrolled key areas, the overnight curfew had been lifted, but many residents stayed indoors.
Banks, businesses and markets remained closed, while reports emerged of attempts to restrict internet access.
Regional bodies condemn takeover
The African Union swiftly condemned the coup and demanded the “immediate and unconditional release” of Embalo and other detained officials.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and African Union election observers voiced regret that the military move came shortly after the two leading candidates had assured them they would respect the people’s verdict.
History of instability
Guinea-Bissau, a coastal nation of about two million people between Senegal and Guinea, has endured at least 15 coups or attempted coups since independence from Portugal in 1974. No elected president has ever completed a full term.
The country remains a key transit point for South American cocaine heading to Europe, while more than two-thirds of the population live below the poverty line.
The latest crisis follows a failed coup attempt in October and recalls the 2022 attack on the presidency that Embalo survived. As the military tightens its grip under General N’Tam, uncertainty hangs over the election results and the fate of those detained, leaving Guinea-Bissau citizens facing yet another turbulent chapter.
