Bissau, Guinea-Bissau –
Military officers in Guinea-Bissau appeared on state television on Wednesday declaring they have taken full control of the country, following rising tensions and allegations of an attempted manipulation of election results.
In an official broadcast, the military high command announced that it had “assumed the full powers of the State of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau”, claiming the move was necessary after discovering an alleged plot to destabilize the country by tampering with last week’s presidential election outcome.
The declaration comes one day after both top presidential candidates in the tightly contested vote — outgoing President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and opposition candidate Fernando Dias da Costa — simultaneously claimed victory.
Earlier on Wednesday, gunfire was reported at multiple locations across the capital, including near the presidential palace. The origins of the shots remain unclear.
Military spokesperson Dinis N’Tchama said the armed forces had established the “high military command for the restoration of order,” which will govern the country until further notice. He announced a series of sweeping measures:
- Suspension of all state institutions
- Suspension of all media outlet operations
- Immediate suspension of the ongoing electoral process
- Closure of land borders, sea access, and national airspace
Journalists in Bissau reported that roads leading to the presidential palace were blocked, with checkpoints staffed by heavily armed, masked soldiers.
According to an international election observer, the head of the national election commission was arrested, and the commission headquarters was sealed off by military forces. The commission had been scheduled to release provisional results of both presidential and parliamentary polls on Thursday.
French news outlet Jeune Afrique quoted President Embaló saying he had been arrested in what he described as a military coup led by the army chief of staff. He stated he was not physically harmed. Embaló has already been facing a legitimacy dispute, with opposition groups arguing that his mandate expired earlier this year and that they no longer recognized him as president.
Embaló took office in February 2020, though the constitution limits presidential terms to five years.
The takeover marks the latest episode in Guinea-Bissau’s long history of political instability, with multiple coups and attempted coups since independence from Portugal in 1974.
Adapted from Africanews
