Guinea-Bissau President Evacuated to Senegal After Military Coup Amid Election Dispute

Guinea-Bissau’s President Umaro Sissoco Embalo was evacuated to Senegal following a military coup that installed General Horta N’Tam as the country’s new leader, just before election results were due. Opposition candidate Fernando Dias da Costa claimed victory and accused Embalo of orchestrating the coup. The military initially imposed restrictions but later reopened borders and lifted the curfew. The African Union, ECOWAS, and the European Union condemned the takeover and called for a return to constitutional rule.

Guinea-Bissau’s President Umaro Sissoco Embalo has arrived safely in Senegal after being detained during a military coup in his country, the Senegalese government said on Thursday. The Senegalese Foreign Ministry explained that an aircraft was chartered by the government to travel to Bissau to assist in the repatriation, ensuring the “safe and sound arrival in Senegal of President Umaro Sissoco Embalo.”

Earlier on Thursday, the military in Guinea-Bissau appointed a general as the country’s new leader, following the seizure of power and the suspension of the announcement of election results. Opposition candidate Fernando Dias da Costa told AFP that he believed he had won Sunday’s election and accused Embalo — who had also declared victory — of orchestrating the coup to prevent him from taking office. The coup occurred one day before the provisional results of the presidential and parliamentary elections were due.

General Horta N’Tam, the army’s chief of staff, was named as the country’s leader for a one-year period. He was sworn in at military headquarters, declaring, “I have just been sworn in to lead the High Command.”

West Africa’s ECOWAS regional bloc held an emergency summit on Thursday, suspending Guinea-Bissau from all its decision-making bodies in response to the coup. The bloc condemned the takeover and urged the military to allow the national election commission to announce the results of the disputed presidential election.

Dias, speaking by telephone from hiding, insisted he was the president-elect and claimed he had won around 52 percent of the vote. He alleged, “There wasn’t a coup. It was organised by Mr Embalo.” Dias said he escaped from his campaign headquarters on Wednesday when armed men attempted to arrest him. Domingos Simoes Pereira, the main opposition figure who had been barred from running and later endorsed Dias, was arrested on Wednesday.

The military also appointed General Tomas Djassi, formerly Embalo’s personal chief of staff, as chief of staff of the armed forces. Guinea-Bissau came to a near standstill on Thursday, with shops closed and soldiers patrolling the streets. The new leaders banned all media programming and outlawed protests. Surrounded by heavily armed soldiers, N’Tam told reporters that the military had acted “to block operations that aimed to threaten our democracy,” adding that evidence was “sufficient to justify the operation” and urging citizens to participate in the “necessary measures.”

Borders, which had been sealed on Wednesday, were later reopened, and the nationwide curfew was lifted. Markets, schools, and private institutions were ordered to reopen. The African Union condemned the coup and demanded Embalo’s immediate release, while ECOWAS chair Julius Maada Bio called it a “grave violation of Guinea-Bissau’s constitutional order.” The European Union also urged a swift return to constitutional rule.

Guinea-Bissau has a history of political instability, experiencing multiple coups since its independence in 1974, and its elections are frequently contested.