GUINEA-BISSAU SOLDIERS SAY THEY HAVE TAKEN POWER AMID ELECTION CHAOS

Wed 26 November 2025:

Military officers have announced they’ve taken over Guinea-Bissau, with reports indicating President Umaro Sissoco Embaló’s arrest. Following gunfire in the capital, Bissau, government officials confirmed to the BBC that Embaló was in custody.

Military officers said they were suspending Guinea-Bissau’s electoral process and closing its borders, in a statement read out at the army’s headquarters in the capital Bissau and broadcast on state TV. They said they had formed “the high military command for the restoration of order”, which would rule the country until further notice.

__________________________________________________________________________

https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22

__________________________________________________________________________

Earlier on Wednesday, shots were heard near the election commission headquarters, presidential palace and interior ministry, although it was not clear who was responsible.

The military takeover is the latest in a string of coups and attempted coups in Guinea-Bissau since it gained independence from Portugal in 1974. The average yearly income in the country of 2.2 million people was just $963 (£728) in 2024, according to the World Bank.

Guinea-Bissau soldiers say they have taken power after reports of president’s arrest

A group of military officers say they have seized control of Guinea-Bissau amid reports that the president, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, has been arrested. pic.twitter.com/TExqll5WJP

— INDEPENDENT PRESS (@IpIndependent) November 26, 2025

The incumbent president, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, had been vying to become the first president to win a second term in power in three decades. Both he and his main rival, Fernando Dias, claimed they won in the first round of elections, held on Sunday.

Earlier on Wednesday, a spokesperson for Embaló claimed the shots were being fired by gunmen affiliated to Dias. But a Dias ally blamed Embaló for trying to simulate a coup attempt so that he could declare an emergency and retain power. Neither provided any evidence for their claims.

Guinea-Bissau, one of the poorest countries in the world, has seen nine coups or attempted coups since it gained independence from Portugal in 1974.

Embaló has said he has survived multiple coup attempts during his time in office. However, his critics allege he has fabricated crises in order to crack down on dissent.

Guinea-Bissau has a population of just under two million people and has been called a “narco-state” by the UN, due to its role as a key transit point in trafficking cocaine from Latin America to Europe.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

__________________________________________________________________________

FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:

WhatsApp CHANNEL
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22