Bissau – General Horta Nta Na Man was declared the transitional president of Guinea-Bissau on Thursday after senior army officers removed President Umaro Sissoco Embalo from power, deepening uncertainty in the West African nation. The announcement came through an army statement released in Bissau, confirming a shift in authority less than a week after the country held a tense presidential election.
The takeover was carried out by officers who referred to themselves as The High Military Command for the Restoration of Order. Speaking on national television on Wednesday, the group said it had ousted Embalo following rising tensions around the disputed election in which Embalo faced 47 year old newcomer Fernando Dias.
Authorities had been expected to publish provisional results on Thursday, but the electoral commission was forced to close its offices after soldiers reportedly took control of the premises. The shutdown halted the release of figures from Sunday’s vote, prompting Guinea-Bissau’s opposition coalition to call for the results to be made public. The coalition backing Dias argued that the delay had no legal basis and urged the military to allow the democratic process to continue.
Residents in Bissau woke up to a heavy military presence on Thursday. Though the overnight curfew was lifted, many people chose to remain indoors and several businesses remained closed. Witnesses reported hearing gunfire on Wednesday for about an hour near the electoral commission and the presidential palace shortly before the military announced the ousting.
Embalo told French media on Wednesday night that he had been deposed. His location remained unknown on Thursday and the army did not clarify whether he had been detained. Meanwhile, Dias released a video accusing Embalo of staging what he called a false coup attempt to stop the election process, saying the outgoing president feared defeat.
The opposition coalition also demanded the release of former Prime Minister Domingos Simoes Pereira who lost to Embalo in the 2019 election. Relatives and security sources said he was detained on Wednesday.
Guinea-Bissau, a coastal state between Senegal and Guinea, has long battled instability and is widely known as a transit route for cocaine destined for Europe. Reports by international crime watchdogs indicate that the illicit trade grew during Embalo’s tenure. The country has recorded nine coups and attempted coups since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974.
Dias had campaigned on promises to curb military interference in politics, while Embalo frequently claimed he had survived several coup attempts and faced criticism for allegedly fuelling political crises.
Regional concern deepened as election observers went silent. A joint mission from the African Union and ECOWAS reported that some officials overseeing the vote had been arrested. The group called for their immediate release. Efforts to contact former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan, who had been observing the election on behalf of the West African Elders Forum, were unsuccessful on Thursday. ECOWAS later confirmed they could not determine his whereabouts, although new reports indicated he was seen disembarking a private jet in Abuja.
Liberian senator Edwin Snowe, who left Guinea-Bissau on Tuesday after serving as a parliamentary observer, said he had been unable to reach colleagues still in the country. He told Reuters that observers were pushing for dialogue and a return to a constitutional order, adding that regional forces were not considering military intervention.
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