Military officers in Guinea-Bissau declared they have “total control” of the coup-prone West African nation on Wednesday, three days after general elections, closing borders and suspending the electoral process. Military sources confirmed that President Umaro Sissoco Embalo had been arrested.
The announcement followed heavy gunfire near the presidential palace, with armed soldiers taking control of the main road leading to the building.
In a televised statement, General Denis N’Canha, head of the presidential military office, said a command “composed of all branches of the armed forces is taking over the leadership of the country until further notice.” He made the announcement seated at a table surrounded by armed personnel.
Embalo, who had been favoured to win Sunday’s election, is reportedly being held at the general staff headquarters, where a military source assured he was “well-treated.” A senior officer confirmed that Embalo had been detained along with the chief of staff and the interior minister.
Both Embalo and opposition candidate Fernando Dias had claimed victory in the presidential race, with official provisional results expected on Thursday.
Guinea-Bissau, a nation with a long history of political instability—including four coups since independence—has also struggled with drug trafficking, serving as a key transit hub between Latin America and Europe.
General N’Canha claimed the military uncovered a plot to destabilise the country “involving national drug lords,” including the smuggling of weapons intended to alter the constitutional order. In addition to halting the electoral process, he announced the suspension of all media programming, the closure of land, air, and sea borders, and the imposition of a mandatory curfew.
Meanwhile, the National Electoral Commission (CNE) was reportedly attacked by unidentified armed men on Wednesday, according to commission official Abdourahmane Djalo.
More than 6,780 security forces, including members of the ECOWAS Stabilisation Force, had been deployed to safeguard the vote and post-election period.
The 2025 elections notably excluded the main opposition party, PAIGC, and its candidate Domingos Simoes Pereira. The Supreme Court cited late application filings as the reason for their disqualification. The opposition has denounced this as electoral manipulation, maintaining that Embalo’s term officially ended on 27 February.
Since 2023, Embalo has ruled by decree after dissolving a legislature dominated by opposition members, deepening political tensions in the already fragile state.