Guinea-Bissau president arrested in military coup

Guinea-Bissau descended into political turmoil on November 26, as President Umaro Sissoco Embaló was arrested in what he described as a “coup d’état” orchestrated by the army’s Chief of Staff.

Embaló told the publication Jeune Afrique that he was detained around 1:00 p.m. local time in his office at the presidential palace.

Also taken into custody were the armed forces’ Chief of Staff, General Biaguê Na Ntan; Deputy Chief of Staff, General Mamadou Touré; and Interior Minister Botché Candé. The president emphasized that no force was used against him during the arrest.

The political upheaval follows the country’s 23 November presidential election, in which both Embaló and opposition candidate Fernando Dias de Costa have claimed victory, despite official provisional results being scheduled for November 27. According to Embaló, he personally believes he secured 65% of the vote.

Journalists covering the election reported a rapidly deteriorating security situation in the capital, with gunfire reported near the National Electoral Commission (CNE) headquarters. “Gunfire at the National Electoral Commission (CNE) headquarters and areas around,” said one reporter who was monitoring the vote count. “We are hidden in the office of the CNE communication officer.”

The disputed poll underscores Guinea-Bissau’s deep-seated political instability. Embaló, who dissolved parliament in 2022 after repeated clashes with lawmakers, entered the election as the favorite, in part due to the exclusion of the main opposition party, the PAIGC, and its leader Domingos Simões Pereira.

However, the unexpectedly strong showing of Fernando Dias de Costa fractured the political narrative, prompting both camps to claim victory ahead of the official announcement. 

By Vafa Guliyeva