Guinea-Bissau has plunged into fresh political turmoil as military officers on Wednesday announced they had taken “total control” of the coup-prone West African nation. Borders have been shut, the electoral process suspended, and a strict curfew imposed.
Earlier in the day, heavy gunfire erupted near the presidential palace, with soldiers blocking the main access road.
General Denis N’Canha, flanked by armed officers, said a joint military command from all branches of the armed forces had taken over leadership “until further notice.”
President Umaro Sissoco Embaló—widely expected to win Sunday’s elections—was said to be inside a building near military headquarters alongside top security officials. It remains unclear whether he has been arrested.
Both Embaló and opposition candidate Fernando Dias had already claimed victory ahead of the official provisional results expected Thursday.
Guinea-Bissau, long plagued by instability, has recorded four coups since independence and numerous failed attempts. N’Canha alleged a plot involving “national drug lords” to undermine the state, claiming weapons had been smuggled in to disrupt the constitutional order.
The situation escalated further as the National Electoral Commission (CNE) was attacked by unidentified armed men.
The 2025 election has been contentious, especially after the Supreme Court barred the PAIGC party and its leader, Domingos Simões Pereira, from participating over late submissions—an exclusion the opposition calls “manipulation.”
Embaló has ruled by decree since dissolving parliament in 2023, and critics insist his mandate expired in February.
Guinea-Bissau remains one of the world’s poorest countries and a key trafficking route for drugs between Latin America and Europe—instability that continues to fuel political crises.
