Streets deserted in Guinea-Bissau capital as Military seizes power, halts election process

Streets in Bissau, the capital of Guinea-Bissau, were largely empty on Thursday after the military announced it had taken control of the country, arrested President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and shut all borders, effectively derailing the release of election results.

Heavily armed soldiers maintained a strong presence around the presidential palace, where intense gunfire was heard on Wednesday, just days after the nation held presidential and legislative elections.

Only a handful of residents cautiously walked along the main road leading to the palace, as troops patrolled surrounding streets.

Throughout Wednesday night, military patrols moved across the capital, marking a stark escalation in the country’s long history of political instability.

On Wednesday, a group of senior officers declared they had assumed “total control” of the state and suspended the electoral process.

President Embaló had been widely expected to secure victory before the sudden intervention. Provisional results were initially scheduled for release on Thursday.

Addressing journalists on Thursday afternoon, General Denis N’Canha, head of the presidential military office, said a unified command “composed of all branches of the armed forces” had taken over in the interim.

He alleged that authorities had uncovered a plot involving “drug lords” aimed at destabilising the country, claiming the plan included smuggling weapons into Guinea-Bissau to undermine the constitutional order.

According to N’Canha, the military has suspended all media broadcasts, halted the electoral process indefinitely, closed land, air and sea borders, and imposed a mandatory nationwide curfew.

A senior military source said the leader of the newly formed “High Command for the Restoration of Order” would be announced later on Thursday.

Guinea-Bissau, located between Guinea and Senegal, has a long and troubled history of coups, having experienced four successful takeovers and numerous attempts since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974.

The development adds to a growing list of military takeovers across West Africa, including Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Guinea, where democratic governments have been toppled in recent years.