BISSAU, Guinea-Bissau — Soldiers appeared on state television Wednesday to declare they had taken control of the government after gunfire was reported near the presidential palace, three days after the country held presidential and legislative elections. President Umaro Sissoco Embaló told French media he had been deposed and detained.
A military spokesman, Dinis N’Tchama, said the “High Military Command for the reestablishment of national and public order” had immediately removed the president, suspended all state institutions until further notice, halted the electoral process, stopped media activity and closed the country’s borders. N’Tchama accused unnamed politicians, a “well-known drug lord” and both domestic and foreign actors of trying to manipulate the vote, but gave no further details.
The votes took place Sunday; both incumbent Embaló and opposition candidate Fernando Dias da Costa claimed victory on Tuesday, while provisional results had been expected on Thursday. Guinea-Bissau has a long history of coups and coup attempts and is known as a transit point for drug trafficking between Latin America and Europe.
Witnesses reported gunfire near the presidential palace around midday Wednesday. An Associated Press journalist saw roads to the palace blocked and checkpoints manned by heavily armed, masked soldiers. A palace official said armed men tried to storm the building and exchanged fire with guards. Another Interior Ministry official reported shots near the National Electoral Commission; both officials spoke on condition of anonymity.
An international election observer said the military had arrested the head of the electoral commission and sealed the commission’s offices. The observer also said the president had been telling people he was being held by the armed forces. Jeune Afrique quoted Embaló as saying he was arrested in what he called a coup led by the army chief of staff and that he had not been subjected to violence.
Embaló’s mandate has been contested: the constitution sets presidential terms at five years. He took office in February 2020; the opposition argues his term ended Feb. 27, while the Supreme Court ruled it should run until Sept. 4. The recent presidential vote had been postponed until this month.
The U.N. said it was monitoring events “with deep concern,” and Secretary-General António Guterres called for restraint and respect for the rule of law. The African Union and ECOWAS condemned what they described as an attempt to disrupt the democratic process, urged a return to constitutional order and demanded the immediate release of detained election officials.
A civil society coalition, the Popular Front, accused Embaló and the military of staging a “simulated coup” to block publication of results and retain power. Some observers said the move appeared aimed at preventing results due Nov. 27 and enabling plans to name an interim president and prime minister and possibly call new elections that could include Embaló.
The episode comes amid a wave of military takeovers in West Africa since 2020, including coups in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, a 2021 coup in neighboring Guinea, and a 2023 mutiny in Gabon that led to a junta leader’s election victory.