Guinea-Bissau president ousted, military takeover announced
Soldiers patrolling in Guinea-Bissau (via Reuters)
A group of military officers in Guinea-Bissau took to state television to announce that they had ousted President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, suspended the election process, and would enforce a curfew in the country, reported Reuters on November 26th.
Guinea-Bissau is a small coastal nation located between Senegal and Guinea, known for being a drug trafficking hub between Europe and Latin America. It has been subjected to many coups and attempted coups since it gained independence from Portugal.
The army’s statement said that the decision to take control was a reaction to an alleged destabilisation plan devised by “certain national politicians” and “well-known national and foreign drug barons”, as well as a plot to manipulate elections.
The contested election results had initially been approaching a scheduled announcement, and both Embalo and his opponent, Fernando Dias, had claimed victory after the first round of voting, according to France 24 via AFP. Embalo was taken into custody by armed men, and his opponents Dias and Domingos Simoes Pereira —the main opposition leader barred from elections— were in custody as well.
Witnesses reported that they heard gunfire near the presidential palace and the election commission headquarters, which lasted for an hour. The US mission to Guinea-Bissau also found military checkpoints everywhere, with tear gas deployed by some forces as well.
Reuters reported that it was not immediately clear whether the army was supported by the fractious armed forces in Guinea-Bissau, or if they were in charge of the whole population of roughly two million people.
The Portuguese government, has called for the elections process to proceed as planned, and ECOWAS (the Economic Community of West African States) and the African Union have echoed this call, expressing concern over the military takeover.
The Guinea-Bissau coup is the newest in a string of military takeovers in West Africa, where contested elections have weakened democratic stability and, according to analysts, encouraged further military intervention.
Reuters, AP, France24 via AFP, Maghrebi.org
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