A group of officers calling themselves the “High Military Command for the Restoration of Order” claimed to have taken control of Guinea-Bissau until “more order” and closed the borders. The coup comes on the eve of the publication of the results of the presidential and legislative elections held on Sunday (23).
In the early afternoon, General Dennis Nkana, head of the Presidential Military House, sitting behind a table and surrounded by armed soldiers, announced to the press at army headquarters that the “High Command for the Restoration of Order, composed of all branches of the armed forces,” would take “control of the country until further notice,” AFP journalists at the scene reported.
The general added, “What prompted us to do this is to ensure national security and also restore order,” referring to the discovery by the General Directorate of Intelligence of a “plan to destabilize the country with the participation of national drug traffickers.”
He added that the General Directorate of Intelligence “confirmed the introduction of weapons into the country to change the constitutional system.”
The general also announced the suspension of “the entire electoral process,” the closure of “land, air and sea borders,” and the imposition of a “mandatory curfew.”
He added, “The leadership’s exercise of its authority begins today. The leadership calls on the population to remain calm.”
The situation is calm
The situation is calm in the streets, according to a source on RFI radio in the country, and a number of members of the presidential guard are occupying the strategic roads leading to the presidential palace.
The afternoon witnessed heavy gunfire around the palace, and a senior officer confirmed to reporters that arrests had been made.
An official who requested anonymity said that President Umaru Sissoko Embalo, considered the front-runner in the elections, will be in a building behind the army headquarters “with the chief of staff and the interior minister.” The information has not been officially confirmed yet.
The National Elections Commission was also attacked by unknown gunmen on Wednesday, according to those responsible for the organization’s communications.
On Tuesday (25), both the Embalo group and the group of opposition candidate Fernando Dias da Costa declared victory in the presidential elections, although official provisional results are expected on Thursday.
Disputed elections
The presidential election, which took place peacefully on Sunday, was held without the main opposition party, the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde, and its candidate, Domingos Simões Pereira.
The African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde, the historic party that led the country to independence by force in 1974, was excluded – also due to the delay in submitting its candidacy – from the legislative elections, which are intended to elect the 102 members of Parliament.
The opposition denounced the exclusion of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde from the presidential and legislative elections, describing it as “manipulation.” The announcement of election results often sparks protests in Guinea-Bissau. The previous presidential election in 2019 led to several months of post-election crisis, as Embalo and his rival Pereira declared victory.
Although nearly 40% of its population lives below the poverty line, Guinea Bissau is among the poorest countries in the world. It is known to be a hub for drug trafficking between South America and Europe, which is facilitated by political instability.
The country has already suffered four coups and a series of coup attempts since its independence.
The West African region has witnessed a series of military coups since 2020, in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Guinea Conakry.
RFI and Agence France-Presse