Guinea-Bissau’s N’Tam Promoted to Major General Amid Military-Led Transition

General Horta N’Tam of Guinea-Bissau has been promoted to major general, the highest military rank, after the army seized power last November. He serves as transitional president, with elections scheduled for December 6, 2026. The takeover followed disputed election results, and Guinea-Bissau has a history of military coups and political instability.

General Horta N’Tam, the current leader of Guinea-Bissau, has officially been promoted to the rank of major general, which is the highest position in the country’s armed forces, according to a decree that he signed and published on Thursday. Previously holding the rank of brigadier general, N’Tam now carries four stars instead of two, reflecting his new status and authority within the military hierarchy.
The promotion comes in the context of a military takeover that occurred last November, just days after Guinea-Bissau’s presidential elections. The army overthrew former President Umaro Sissoco Embalo and suspended the electoral process, citing the need to prevent potential bloodshed between supporters of rival candidates. Following the takeover, N’Tam, who is known to be a close associate of Embalo, was appointed as transitional president. The military has announced that it plans to hold power for one year and return authority to civilian leaders after that period. To that end, new presidential and legislative elections have been scheduled for December 6, 2026, in an effort to restore democratic governance.
The military justified its intervention by pointing to the political tension that emerged when both former President Embalo and opposition candidate Fernando Dias claimed victory before official results were announced. Guinea-Bissau, a coastal West African nation, has a long and turbulent history of political instability. Since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974, the country has experienced at least four military coups and numerous attempted insurrections, making this takeover part of a recurring pattern of military involvement in governance.
This promotion of N’Tam and the ongoing transitional period highlight the continued influence of the military in Guinea-Bissau’s political landscape, as well as the challenges the country faces in achieving stable civilian rule.