Military officers in Guinea-Bissau announced on Wednesday, Nov. 26, that they were taking “total control” of the country, suspending the electoral process and shutting all borders.
Their declaration came just three days after the West African nation held its legislative and presidential elections. Earlier that day, gunfire erupted near the presidential palace as men in military uniform seized the main road leading to the building.
The announcement was delivered from army headquarters in Bissau, where officers read a statement in front of AFP journalists.
Meanwhile, President Umaro Sissoco Embaló told Jeune Afrique that he was arrested around 1 p.m. while inside his office at the presidential palace. The presidential election took place on Sunday, and Embaló claimed he had secured 65% of the vote based on his own tally.
Also arrested were the armed forces chief of staff, General Biaguê Na Ntan; the deputy chief of staff, General Mamadou Touré; and the interior minister, Botché Candé.
The outgoing president said no force was used against him during what he described as a “coup d’état,” led by the army chief of staff.
Journalists covering the election reported a rapidly worsening security situation in the capital, noting gunfire near the National Electoral Commission headquarters. One reporter said their team was hiding inside the CNE communication officer’s office as shots were heard nearby.
The coup leaders issued a communique claiming that the “High Military Command for the Restoration of National Security and Public Order” acted in response to a destabilisation plot allegedly involving certain national politicians and a “well-known drug baron.”
Both Embaló’s camp and opposition candidate Fernando Dias de Costa have claimed victory in the Nov. 23 presidential election, although official provisional results are only expected on Thursday, Nov. 27.
