Soldiers in Guinea-Bissau have declared total control of the country, arresting President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and suspending all democratic institutions in a dramatic coup d’état on Wednesday, November 26, 2025.
The military takeover comes just one day before the expected announcement of official results from the fiercely contested November 23 general election.
Chaos erupted in the capital, Bissau, around midday on Wednesday when heavy gunfire was reported near the presidential palace, the interior ministry, and the headquarters of the National Electoral Commission.
Shortly after, military officers appeared on state television to announce the formation of the High Military Command for the Restoration of Order.
Led by Brigadier General Denis N’Canha, the head of the military office of the presidency, the junta ordered the immediate suspension of the electoral process, the dissolution of all political institutions, and the closure of the country’s air, land, and sea borders.
“The High Military Command has assumed full powers of the state to restore national security and public order,” the statement read, urging citizens to remain calm and return to their homes.
President Embaló confirmed his arrest in a telephone interview with Jeune Afrique, stating he was detained at the army’s general staff headquarters.
He described the event as a coup led by the Army Chief of Staff, General Biague Na Ntan, though conflicting reports suggest Ntan may also be among those detained.
The President noted he had been treated without violence and was safe.
Other senior officials, including the Interior Minister Botche Cande and the Deputy Chief of Staff, General Mamadou Toure, were also reported arrested.
The coup appears directly linked to the disputed general election held on Sunday, November 23, 2025. Tensions had reached a boiling point after both President Embaló and his main rival, Fernando Dias, prematurely declared victory before the release of official results.
The political climate was already fragile following the Supreme Court’s controversial decision to bar the main opposition party, PAIGC, and its leader Domingos Simões Pereira from the ballot, a move critics labeled as political manipulation.
The military junta cited the discovery of an ongoing plan by politicians and foreign figures to manipulate electoral results and destabilize the country as the primary justification for their intervention.
The international community has reacted swiftly. The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, expressed deep concern over the developments and called for the immediate restoration of constitutional order and respect for the rule of law.
The situation presents a renewed challenge for ECOWAS, marking yet another member state falling to military rule in a region plagued by political instability.
