Lagos, Radio Nigeria — A group of military officers in Guinea-Bissau has announced that it has taken control of the country, following hours of tension in the capital, Bissau, and the reported detention of President Umaro Sissoco Embaló.
Gunfire was heard around midday near key government facilities, prompting residents to flee for safety.
Government sources later confirmed to international media that President Embaló had been arrested by the mutinous troops.
The soldiers appeared on state television shortly afterwards, declaring that they had suspended the electoral process as the country awaited results from Sunday’s presidential poll.
Both President Embaló and his main challenger, Fernando Dias, had earlier claimed victory ahead of the expected announcement of results on Thursday.
In their broadcast, the officers accused unnamed politicians, allegedly backed by a “notorious drug kingpin” of plotting to destabilise the country.
They announced the closure of all borders and imposed a night-time curfew from 19:00 GMT.
The officers said they had formed what they called the High Military Command for the Restoration of Order and urged citizens to remain calm.
Sources also report that Fernando Dias, former Prime Minister Domingos Simões Pereira, who had been barred from contesting and Interior Minister Botché Candé have been detained.
The army chief, General Biague Na Ntan, and his deputy, General Mamadou Touré, are also said to be in custody.
The African Union and West Africa’s regional bloc, ECOWAS, issued a joint statement expressing deep concern and condemning the attempted coup.
The observer missions said polling had been “orderly and peaceful,” adding that the leading candidates had earlier pledged to respect the will of the people.
Portugal, the former colonial power, has called for an immediate return to constitutional rule and urged all sides to avoid violence.
Guinea-Bissau, wedged between Senegal and Guinea, has long struggled with political instability and the influence of drug-trafficking networks.
The West African nation has experienced at least nine coups or attempted coups since independence in 1974.
President Embaló, 53, has claimed several previous attempts on his leadership.
His critics, however, accuse him of exploiting political crises to tighten his hold on power.
The president had initially said he would not seek re-election but later reversed course, despite opposition claims that his mandate expired in February 2025.
Guinea-Bissau, with a population of just over two million, remains one of the world’s poorest countries.
Its scattered Atlantic islands have been repeatedly cited by the UN as key transit points for cocaine smuggling from Latin America to Europe, earning it the label of a “narco-state.”