Military seizes control in Guinea-Bissau amid contested presidential election

A group of military officers in Guinea-Bissau have claimed “total control” of the country, following a presidential election in which both top candidates declared victory.

In a statement released on November 26, the officers announced the immediate suspension of the electoral process, the closure of all land, air, and sea borders, and the imposition of an overnight curfew “until further notice.” The announcement came shortly after sustained gunfire was reported near the election commission headquarters, the presidential palace, and the interior ministry in the capital, Bissau, Al Jazeera reports.

November 23 vote, the first round of the presidential election, pitted incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embalo against his main challenger, Fernando Dias. The official results had been expected to be announced on November 27.

Reporting from neighboring Senegal, Al Jazeera correspondent Nicolas Haque said Embalo’s whereabouts were not immediately clear following the military’s announcement.

“The presidential palace is heavily guarded as we speak, surrounded by the presidential guard, and we have the military deployed,” Haque said. “What we know for sure is that the military is definitely in charge of the country today.”

Guinea-Bissau has a history of political instability, with several attempted coups since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974. Haque noted that the legitimacy of this week’s election had been questioned by civil society groups and other observers after the main opposition party, the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), was barred from fielding a presidential candidate.

By Vafa Guliyeva