On Thursday, November 28, Guinea-Bissau’s military announced the appointment of a new junta leader, formalizing the seizure of power that began immediately after the presidential election. Senior commanders introduced General Horta Nta on the state broadcaster as the head of a military government tasked with running the country through a one-year transition. Before the coup, Nta had served as chief of the general staff and was considered a close ally of ousted president Umaru Sissoco Embalo.
Embalo’s whereabouts remained unknown on Thursday. A day earlier, he told that he had been detained by the military as gunfire erupted near the presidential palace. The opposition, however, claimed Embalo had staged the coup himself to avoid an electoral defeat in Sunday’s vote. His rival Fernando Dias—who, like Embalo, declared himself the winner—said the arrest and power grab were “fabricated” to block the publication of the results, expected on Thursday. The Associated Press was unable to independently verify the assertions of Dias, a member of the Social Democratic Party for Renewal.
The opposition African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde, along with Dias himself, urged residents to protest the coup and demand the release of the election results. But on Thursday morning, the capital Bissau moved at its usual pace: shops opened and public transport began operating.
Guinea-Bissau, one of the poorest countries in the world, has remained vulnerable to frequent coups and attempted coups for more than half a century, including an attempted power grab in October. The nation of 2.2 million people is also known as a transit hub for drug trafficking between Latin America and Europe—an illicit flow that, according to experts, fuels political instability.
Reports of the latest coup extend a broader pattern of military takeovers in West Africa, where democratic institutions are under strain amid disputed elections, a dynamic analysts say emboldens armed forces to intervene. Gunfire in Bissau erupted on Wednesday, just days after a tense vote in which both Embalo and Dias claimed victory.
In a scene long familiar to the region, army officers appeared on state television to announce they were taking power into their own hands. Embalo, who had sought the rare prospect of a second term, told French media he had been detained and that the electoral commission’s office had been sealed. Dias, 47, said in a video message that he had escaped “through the back door” after reports of his arrest and vowed to continue the fight. “Umaru lost the election, and instead of accepting the result, he fabricated a coup,” he said. “Once again, we are the target of a staged putsch… We will free ourselves.”
This week’s vote came at a critical moment for the country: the 53-year-old Embalo, a former general, was facing a crisis of legitimacy. The opposition argued that his mandate had long expired and refused to recognize him as president. The military, announcing his removal, cited the “uncovering of an ongoing plan… to falsify the election results,” according to spokesman Dinis N’tchama. The scheme, he said, “was orchestrated by several national politicians with the involvement of a well-known drug trafficker, as well as citizens of the country and foreigners.”
A number of international organizations and governments condemned the reports of a coup, while the UN said it was monitoring the situation “with deep concern”.