US EditionMilitary Seizes Power in Guinea-Bissau, Arrests President
- On Wednesday, November 26, 2025, army officers said they had seized power and announced the takeover on state television, while outgoing President Umaro Sissoco Embaló was arrested, government sources reported.
- A disputed presidential contest in which both main contenders claimed victory prompted the context for the takeover, which came three days after the national elections and one day before provisional results were due.
- Witnesses in Bissau said roads to the palace were closed and armed checkpoints appeared, gunfire at around 13:00 GMT near the electoral commission headquarters forced hundreds to flee, and fighting stopped by 1400 GMT, a Reuters journalist said.
- Suspending the vote count, the military closed the country's borders and declared control, announcing it suspended the electoral process and formed the High Military Command for the Restoration of Order.
- The takeover fits a pattern in a country that has experienced multiple coups since 1980, with nine coups or attempted coups and recent attempts against Embaló including one in December 2023 in Guinea-Bissau, a nation with a population just under two million.
140 Articles
140 Articles
Military officers in Guinea-Bissau say they seized 'total control' in coup
Military officers said they seized “total control” in Guinea-Bissau after arresting the president, following a contentious election. Gunfire erupted near the presidential palace in the capital of Bissau on Wednesday. President Umaro Sissoco Embalo was quickly arrested by the military, who detained him at the general staff headquarters. A military source told AFP that he was being “well-treated.” After his arrest, Brig. Gen. Denis N’Canha, milita…
Military commanders in Guinea-Bissau say they have taken full control of the country, following reports of gunfire in the capital Bissau. President Umaro Sissoco Embaló confirms in a telephone interview with the television channel France 24 that he has been ousted.
Shortly after an election, the military is making a coup d'état in Guinea-Bissau in West Africa - and calls election manipulation and destabilization a reason.
Guinea-Bissau's military has declared a coup after gunfire was reported in the capital and the president and several ministers were arrested.
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