Army officers in Guinea-Bissau have seized power, staging a military coup on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, just one day before the official announcement of provisional results from a highly disputed presidential election.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The officers, operating under the name The High Military Command for the Restoration of Order, announced they had deposed the incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embaló. Embaló later confirmed his removal.
Key Details of the Takeover
- Action: The military suspended the electoral process, closed the country’s borders, and imposed a nationwide curfew.
- Detainees: Reports indicate that President Embaló, his main challenger Fernando Dias, and former prime minister Domingos Simões Pereira are being held.
- Justification: The military spokesperson, Diniz N’Tchama, cited an alleged destabilisation plan as the reason for the takeover. This plan purportedly involved:
- “Certain national politicians”
- “Well-known national and foreign drug barons”
- Attempts to manipulate the election results.
- Violence: Gunfire erupted near key government buildings, including the electoral commission headquarters and the presidential palace, shortly before the official announcement of the coup.
The small West African nation, located between Senegal and Guinea, has a history of political instability and is known as a major transit hub for cocaine being smuggled into Europe. Portugal, the former colonial power, has called for the immediate restoration of constitutional functions and the resumption of the result proclamation.
