Military Coup in Guinea-Bissau and Arrest of President Embalo Inside the Presidential Palace
Military officers in Guinea-Bissau announced on Wednesday their complete control over the country “until further notice” following the arrest of outgoing President Umaro Sissoco Embalo inside the presidential palace in the capital, Bissau. They also declared the suspension of the electoral process and the closing of borders, as the nation awaited the official results of the presidential and legislative elections held on Sunday.
This development came after the sound of gunfire was heard near the presidential palace, with military personnel deployed along the road leading to it, recalling the turmoil the West African nation has experienced since independence, which includes four coups and several failed attempts.
Embalo stated in an interview with the magazine “Jeune Afrique” that he was arrested in his office at noon and that he was not subjected to any violence, indicating that the mastermind behind the “coup” is the Chief of Staff of the Army.
The Chief of Staff himself, along with his deputy and the Interior Minister, was also arrested, according to corroborating sources that reported gunfire near the palace and the offices of the electoral commission.
These events unfolded amid heightened political tension, as both Embalo and his rival Fernando Dias claimed victory separately, indicating a potential new political crisis, especially after the exclusion of the main opposition party, PAIGC, and its leader, Domingos Pereira, from running by a ruling from the Supreme Court.
This crisis evokes memories of 2019 when two candidates simultaneously declared victory, leading to one of the longest electoral disputes in the country’s history. A monitoring mission from ECOWAS had praised the peaceful conduct of the voting just one day prior before tensions erupted again.
Guinea-Bissau is considered one of the poorest countries in the world and has faced years of chronic instability, making it a key hub for drug trafficking between Latin America and Europe amid a troubled relationship between civilian authority and the military.
