A group of military officers just announced that they had taken control of Guinea-Bissau, claiming to have suspended the electoral process and detained President Umaro Sissoco Embaló. The declaration came hours after gunfire erupted in the capital, Bissau, prompting panic among residents and raising fears of yet another coup in a country long plagued by political volatility.

Eyewitnesses reported hearing sustained gunshots around 1300 GMT, with civilians fleeing on foot and by car to escape the area, according to local and international media.

Embaló was elected in December 2019 – Credit; Getty Images

Speaking by phone to France 24 as events unfolded, Embaló said, “I have been deposed,” confirming earlier reports from government sources that he had been arrested. He was reportedly taken into custody alongside members of his presidential security team and several ministers.

General Denis N’Canha, head of the military household at the presidential palace, appeared on state television shortly after, flanked by uniformed officers. Reading from a prepared statement, he declared the establishment of a new military-led authority named the High Military Command for the Restoration of Order. He said the group would assume control of the state’s institutions, suspend the ongoing electoral process, and close national borders until further notice. The general called for calm, urging the population to cooperate.

The seizure of power comes at a politically sensitive moment for the country of nearly two million, just days after a controversial presidential election in which the leading opposition candidate was disqualified. Both Embaló and his main rival, Fernando Dias, claimed victory ahead of the expected results announcement on Thursday. The political deadlock deepened amid accusations of irregularities and questions about the legitimacy of Embaló’s mandate.

Guinea-Bissau has a long history of coups, with at least nine attempted or successful power grabs since it gained independence from Portugal in 1974. Embaló himself has claimed to have survived multiple coup attempts since taking office in 2020, though his opponents argue that he has often exaggerated threats to justify authoritarian measures. In December last year, heavy gunfire shook the capital in what the government described as an attempted coup. Embaló responded by dissolving parliament, leaving the country without a functioning legislative body.

The latest military intervention follows another reported attempt in October, when several senior officers were arrested on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government. The army’s credibility and cohesion have been repeatedly tested in recent years, amid growing frustration with political stagnation and allegations of corruption at the highest levels.

Guinea-Bissau remains one of the poorest countries in the world, burdened by underdevelopment, political fragility, and an entrenched illicit economy. It has long been identified by international agencies as a key transit point for cocaine trafficked from Latin America to Europe. A report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime in August suggested that the trade had become increasingly lucrative under Embaló’s rule. In September 2024, judicial police reported seizing over 2.6 tons of cocaine from a Venezuelan aircraft in one of the largest drug hauls in the country’s history.

As uncertainty deepens over the fate of the president and the nation’s political trajectory, regional leaders and international observers are expected to respond with growing concern to yet another chapter of unrest in Guinea-Bissau’s turbulent post-independence history.

by I. Constantin