Soldiers in Guinea-Bissau have announced that they are taking “total control” of the West African country, three days after elections in which both leading presidential candidates claimed victory.In a statement delivered at the army headquarters in Bissau and broadcast on state television, military officers said they were suspending the electoral process and closing the nation’s borders. They added that they had established “the high military command for the restoration of order,” which would govern the country until further notice.
Earlier on Wednesday, gunshots were heard near the election commission headquarters, the presidential palace, and the interior ministry, though it remained unclear who was responsible. The takeover marks the latest in a long series of coups and attempted coups in Guinea-Bissau since its independence from Portugal in 1974. The country of 2.2 million people had an average yearly income of just $963 in 2024, according to the World Bank.
Guinea-Bissau was labelled a “narco state” by the UN in 2008 due to its role in global cocaine trafficking. Its strategic coastline, dotted with river deltas and the 88 islands of the Bijagós archipelago, has long provided secluded landing points exploited by drug cartels from South America. The incumbent president, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, had hoped to become the first leader in three decades to win a second term. Both he and his main challenger, Fernando Dias, claimed victory in the first round of voting held on Sunday.
Earlier on Wednesday, a spokesperson for Embaló alleged that the gunfire was carried out by gunmen loyal to Dias. A Dias ally, however, accused Embaló of orchestrating the violence to stage a simulated coup and justify declaring a state of emergency to hold onto power. Neither side presented evidence to support their claims. Provisional results from the presidential and parliamentary elections were expected to be announced on Thursday.
According to Reuters, Guinea-Bissau experienced at least nine coups between its independence and Embaló’s rise to power in 2020. Embaló has claimed that he survived three coup attempts during his first term, the most recent occurring in October. Critics, however, have accused him of fabricating such attempts to suppress opposition. In December 2023, prolonged gunfire in Bissau was described by Embaló as an attempted coup, after which he dissolved parliament. The country has not had a fully functioning legislature since then.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/
