BISSAU, Nov 26 — Army officers in Guinea-Bissau declared on Wednesday that they had seized power, deposing President Umaro Sissoco Embaló just a day before official results from the country’s contested presidential election were due to be announced.
In a televised statement, military spokesperson Dinis N’Tchama, also identified as Brigadier General Denis N’Canha, said the army had formed a new governing body, the High Military Command for the Restoration of Order, which would run the nation “until further notice.” The officers announced the suspension of the electoral process, the closure of borders, and an indefinite curfew.
Gunfire erupted around the presidential palace and the headquarters of the national electoral commission in the capital, and military troops reportedly sealed off key government facilities. Embaló later confirmed to French media that he had been removed from power.
The coup comes after a bitterly contested vote on Sunday, the first round of a general election that included both presidential and legislative ballots. Both Embaló and his main challenger, Fernando Dias da Costa, had already declared victory before official results were due. The election was marred by controversy, including the exclusion of the former ruling party and widespread accusations of institutional bias.
This marks at least the ninth successful coup or attempted coup in Guinea-Bissau since independence in 1974, underscoring once again the fragility of democratic institutions in one of West Africa’s most volatile states.
