Guinea-Bissau military announces general as leader of new junta
Guinea-Bissau, located in West Africa, has elected a new president. However, both leading candidates claim victory. What does the country's military do? It speaks of attempted election manipulation, seizes power, and appoints a junta leader.
Bissau/Dakar (AFP/dpa/AP) - Soldiers in Guinea-Bissau on Thursday announced a new junta leader for the African country, cementing a forceful takeover of power that began on November 26 only three days after the country’s presidential election.
State broadcaster TGB reported that General Horta N'Ta is to serve as transitional president for a one-year period.
Much remained unclear about the balance of power in the country and the circumstances surrounding the alleged coup. Eyewitnesses told German news agency dpa that the streets of the capital, Bissau, were deserted on Thursday, while soldiers were deployed at key locations across the city.
A day earlier, a group of officers said they had taken power in the tropical nation of around 2.2 million people. They said the military uncovered a plan to rig the elections and destabilize the country, involving politicians and a drug lord. Guinea-Bissau, which is one of the world's poorest countries, is known as an important hub for cocaine smuggling between Latin America and Europe.
Both presidential candidates arrested
The now deposed President Umaro Sissoco Embaló reportedly told a French media outlet that he was detained by the military. However, he said he had not been harmed. The military is also said to have detained Embaló's challenger, Fernando Dias. Both Embaló and Dias had declared themselves the winner after Sunday's presidential election. The results have not yet been published.
Guinea-Bissau has experienced several coups and coup attempts since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974. The military has been heavily involved in politics for many years. Former general Embaló has been in power since 2020 and dissolved parliament at the end of 2023. He has spoken several times in the past about coup attempts against him, most recently in October. His term of office expired months ago. Critics accuse him of oppressing opposition figures, journalists and human rights activists.
The main opposition party was excluded from the election and supported the independent candidate Dias. Opposition leader Domingos Simoes Pereira was also arrested Wednesday, according to two sources close to him.
African Union calls for "unconditional" release of president Embaló
The African Union (AU) called on Thursday for the "immediate and unconditional" release of Embaló. In a statement on X, the chair of the AU, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, called for the release of President Embaló "and all detained officials", urging all parties to exercise restraint. The AU "unequivocally condemns" the coup, the statement added, and stressed "the imperative of respecting the ongoing electoral process".
The reported coup is the latest in a surge of military takeovers in West Africa, where democracy recently has been challenged by disputed elections that analysts say could embolden militaries. Several international bodies and countries have condemned the reported coup and the United Nations said it was following the situation “with deep concern.”