Tendai Keith Guvamombe
President Umaro Sissoco Embaló of Guinea-Bissau has confirmed his overthrow and subsequent arrest by the country’s military, plunging the politically volatile nation back into crisis just days after a highly contested presidential election.
Speaking to the media via phone from the military headquarters, President Embaló stated, “I have indeed been overthrown.
I can’t say too much, otherwise they’ll confiscate my phone. I’m currently at the military headquarters.” He confirmed he was arrested without violence and directly accused the army chief of staff of orchestrating the coup.
The military intervention comes as the nation awaited the official results of a fiercely disputed election, with both Embaló’s camp and his main rival, Fernando Dias, having claimed victory in the first round.
Key Figures Detained
The President is not alone in his detention.
Embaló confirmed that Interior Minister Botché Candé has also been arrested. In a surprising turn, he revealed that the country’s top military leadership, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, General Biague Na Ntan, and his deputy, General Mamadou Touré, were detained alongside him—suggesting a clear internal fracture within the armed forces.
Furthermore, prominent opposition figures, including the main opposition party leader Domingos Simões Pereira and presidential candidate Fernando Dias da Costa, have also been arrested and are reportedly being held at the Bissau airbase.
Military Claims “Restoration of Order”A group of officers, identifying themselves as the “High Military Command for the Restoration of National Security and Public Order,” appeared on state television to announce they had taken “total control.”
They cited the discovery of a plot to “destabilize” the nation, involving national politicians and a “well-known drug baron” attempting to manipulate election results.
In their statement, the military command announced the suspension of the electoral process, the closure of all national borders, and the enforcement of a curfew.
This move adds Guinea-Bissau to the list of West African nations recently hit by military takeovers. International bodies like the UN and ECOWAS have condemned the action, calling for an immediate return to constitutional order and the release of all detained officials.
The situation remains highly tense as the country, notorious for its chronic political instability since independence, faces another uncertain political transition.
