Guinea-Bissau’s President Umaro Embalo said he was arrested inside the presidential palace on Wednesday, along with his chief of staff, General Biague Na Ntan, deputy chief of staff General Mamadou Traore, and Interior Minister Botche Cande.
Embalo described the incident as a “coup d’état” led by the army chief of staff, but said no force was used against him. Reporters on the ground reported hearing gunfire near the National Electoral Commission headquarters and surrounding areas.
The country has been awaiting results from Sunday’s presidential election, in which Embalo claimed to have won 65 per cent of the votes. Both Embalo and opposition candidate Fernando Dias de Costa have claimed first-round victory in the November 23 vote.
Military takeover
Military officers announced on Wednesday that they were taking “total control” of the country, AFP reported. They also suspended the electoral process and closed the nation’s borders, three days after the legislative and presidential elections.
In a midday press briefing, 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 delivered the announcement seated at a table, flanked by armed soldiers.
Guinea-Bissau has a history of political instability, having experienced four coups and several attempted coups since independence. N’Canha claimed the takeover was necessary to prevent a plan to destabilise the country, allegedly involving “national drug lords” and the introduction of weapons to alter the constitutional order.
He said the military had suspended “the entire electoral process,” halted all media programming, and imposed a mandatory curfew.
Guinea-Bissau is one of the world’s poorest countries and has long been a hub for drug trafficking between Latin America and Europe, a trade facilitated by persistent political instability.
