Military officers in Guinea-Bissau announced on 26 November they had seized “total control” of the West African nation, deposing President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and suspending a disputed electoral process just days after a presidential vote in which both leading candidates claimed victory.
The takeover, marked by gunfire in the capital Bissau, adds to the country’s long history of instability and raises fresh fears of unrest in one of the world’s poorest states.
Gunfire erupts in Bissau
The dramatic events unfolded rapidly on 26 November, beginning with sustained bursts of gunfire around midday near key government sites, including the presidential palace, the election commission headquarters and the interior ministry.
Witnesses described scenes of panic as residents fled on foot and in vehicles, seeking shelter amid the uncertainty. No immediate casualties were reported, but the shooting sowed confusion about who was behind it.
Military declares takeover
Shortly afterwards, a group of officers appeared on state television, identifying themselves as the High Military Command for the Restoration of Order. Brigadier General Denis N’Canha, formerly the head of the presidential guard, read a statement declaring the military’s intervention.
“We have taken total control of the country,” he said, ordering the suspension of the electoral process “until further notice”. The officers also imposed an overnight curfew, closed all land, air and sea borders and urged the population to remain calm.
President confirms arrest
Reports from neighbouring Senegal indicated Embaló had been arrested, along with Domingos Simões Pereira, leader of the main opposition African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde then PAIGC.
Journalists on the ground noted that the military was attempting to cut off internet access, further isolating the nation. “The man supposed to protect the president himself has put the president under arrest,” one correspondent observed of N’Canha.
Disputed election triggers crisis
The coup comes amid chaos following presidential and parliamentary elections held on Sunday. Provisional results were due on Thursday, but the vote was already mired in controversy.
Embaló, seeking a second term after taking office in 2020, faced a field of candidates including Fernando Dias da Costa, an independent backed by the PAI-Terra Ranka coalition after Pereira was disqualified by the Supreme Court in October.
The court’s decision barred the PAIGC from fielding a presidential contender for the first time since independence, drawing sharp criticism from civil society groups and observers who questioned the election’s legitimacy.
Both Embaló and Dias prematurely declared victory on Monday, with scant evidence to back their claims. Embaló’s campaign spokesperson told Who Owns Africa that “there won’t be a second round” and that the president would secure a second mandate.
Dias, in a social media video, asserted: “This election has been won. It has been won in the first round.” The duelling declarations echoed the 2019 poll, which sparked a four-month crisis after Embaló and Pereira both claimed wins, ultimately resolved in Embaló’s favour.
Turbulent presidency
Analysts suggest the military stepped in to avert a prolonged stalemate. Embaló’s tenure has been turbulent, marked by multiple parliament dissolutions – in 2022 and again in 2023 following what he called a coup attempt – and accusations of authoritarian drift.
Critics have labelled his extended hold on power beyond his term’s February end as an “institutional coup”. Embaló has claimed to have survived at least three putsch attempts, though detractors allege he sometimes fabricates crises to suppress dissent.
A country plagued by coups
Guinea-Bissau, with a population of about 2.2 million, has endured nine coups or attempted coups since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974.
One of Africa’s smallest nations, it grapples with chronic poverty and has been dubbed a narco-state by the United Nations because of its role as a transit hub for cocaine from Latin America to Europe, exploiting its rugged coastline and remote islands.
Political instability has stymied development, leaving much of the population reliant on subsistence farming and cashew exports.
International concern
International reactions were swift but measured. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres expressed deep concern, urging all parties to exercise restraint and respect the rule of law. Portugal, the former colonial power, called for restraint from any act of institutional or civic violence and stressed the need for state institutions to complete the electoral process.
As borders remain sealed and a curfew enforces quiet in Bissau, the military’s next moves remain unclear. The suspension of the election leaves the country’s future hanging in the balance, with fears that this latest upheaval could deepen divisions in a nation long plagued by power struggles.
Embaló’s deposition marks a stark turn for a leader who once vowed to break the cycle of coups, only to fall victim to one himself.
Agencies contributed to this report
