Bissau, Guinea-Bissau – November 27, 2025 – In a dramatic escalation of political instability, Guinea-Bissau's military has seized control of the West African nation, deposing President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and suspending the country’s ongoing electoral process just days after a contentious presidential vote. The takeover, announced by a group of senior army officers on state television, has plunged the coup-prone country into uncertainty, with borders sealed, media silenced, and a curfew enforced. International observers, including former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, are among those stranded as the crisis unfolds.
The events began unfolding on Wednesday afternoon when gunfire erupted near the Presidential Palace in Bissau, the capital, sending residents fleeing into the streets. Witnesses described chaotic scenes, with armed soldiers from the presidential guard and elite gendarmerie units establishing checkpoints and patrolling deserted avenues. By early evening, a faction identifying as the "High Military Command for the Restoration of National Security and Public Order" broadcast a statement claiming they had "assumed full powers of the state" to thwart an alleged plot to destabilize the nation.
Spokesman Dinis N’Tchama, flanked by uniformed officers, declared that the military had uncovered a conspiracy involving "national drug lords" and the smuggling of weapons intended to "alter the constitutional order." In a sweeping set of measures, the group announced the immediate deposition of Embaló, the suspension of all republican institutions, the halt of media operations, and the closure of Guinea-Bissau's land, sea, and air borders. A nine-hour curfew was imposed from 9 p.m. local time (2100 GMT), with instructions for civilians to "remain calm" and "understand the gravity of this national emergency."
President Embaló, a former army general who has led the nation since 2020, confirmed his own arrest in interviews with French media outlets. Speaking to Jeune Afrique and France 24 from an undisclosed location, he described how uniformed men entered his office at the palace around 1 p.m. local time without violence, detaining him as part of what he labeled a "coup d’état" orchestrated by the army chief of staff. "I have been deposed," Embaló stated bluntly, adding that he was being held alongside the armed forces chief of staff and the interior minister at a military facility, where they were reportedly "well-treated." Sources within the military indicated that Embaló was being kept at general staff headquarters behind the Presidential Palace, though his exact condition remains unverified amid the communications blackout.
The coup erupted against the backdrop of Guinea-Bissau's highly disputed general elections held on Sunday, November 23, which combined presidential and legislative races for the first time in the nation's history. With a population of just over 2 million, the coastal nation—one of the world's poorest, with an average annual income of $963 per capita according to the World Bank—has long grappled with institutional fragility exacerbated by drug trafficking networks linking Latin America to Europe. Voter turnout exceeded 65%, a testament to public engagement despite chronic poverty and logistical challenges in rural areas.
Twelve candidates vied for the presidency, but the contest largely pitted incumbent Embaló against independent challenger Fernando Dias da Costa, backed by a coalition including the historically dominant African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), which led the fight against Portuguese colonial rule in 1974. Notably absent was PAIGC leader Domingos Simões Pereira, Embaló's long-time rival, whose candidacy was disqualified by the Supreme Court in October for late filing—a decision opposition groups decried as "manipulation" to favor the incumbent. Embaló, 53, sought to become the first leader in three decades to secure a second consecutive term, campaigning on promises of "order, discipline, and development" under his self-coined "Embaloism" philosophy.
Tensions boiled over on Monday when both Embaló's camp and Dias prematurely declared outright victories, each claiming over 50% of the vote—enough to avoid a runoff—based on unofficial tallies. Embaló's spokesperson, Oscar Barbosa, insisted, "There won’t be a second round; the president will have a second mandate," while Dias told supporters in Bissau that the people were "tired" and demanded "change." The National Electoral Commission (CNE) had planned to release provisional results on Thursday, but unidentified gunmen attacked its headquarters on Wednesday, further delaying the process and fueling suspicions of foul play.
Guinea-Bissau's history of turmoil provides grim context for the latest upheaval. Since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974, the country has endured four successful coups and numerous attempts, including a foiled plot in October 2025 that led to the arrest of senior officers. Embaló himself ascended to power in 2020 amid disputed polls and accusations of a self-orchestrated "coup" following a parliamentary dissolution. His legitimacy has been contested since, with opposition arguing his term expired on February 27, 2025—five years from inauguration—though the Supreme Court extended it to September 4, prompting the delayed November vote. The 2023 legislative elections, marked by another alleged coup attempt in December, left parliament dissolved, forcing governance through decree.
Speculation has swirled that the current coup might be a fabrication by Embaló to cling to power after an electoral loss, a theory echoed by Dias' camp in a social media video: "Umaro lost the elections, and instead of accepting the result, he fabricated a coup d’état." Brigadier General Denis N’Canha, the coup leader and former head of Embaló's presidential guard, dismissed such claims, vowing the military would "clarify the situation" before restoring constitutional order.
The international community has reacted with alarm. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres is "following developments... with deep concern," his spokesman Stéphane Dujarric told reporters in New York. Guterres "appeals to all national stakeholders in Guinea-Bissau to exercise restraint and respect the rule of law," Dujarric added, pledging close monitoring as the situation evolves. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and African Union (AU) joint observers, who had met with candidates days earlier, expressed "regret" over the timing, noting both Embaló and Dias had pledged to honor the electorate's will. Nigeria's government condemned the takeover as a "serious threat to democracy and regional stability," echoing calls from Portugal, the former colonial power, for resumed vote counting and an end to violence.
Adding to the human stakes, a 36-member delegation of AU, ECOWAS, and West African Elders Forum observers—including Jonathan—is trapped in Bissau, unable to depart due to the border closures. The group, scheduled to leave on November 29, urged swift restoration of order and the release of detainees in a statement highlighting the "regrettable" interruption of democratic progress. Jonathan, who has mediated regional conflicts, was in Guinea-Bissau to oversee the polls, which AU preliminary reports praised for resilience despite pre-election tensions like the October coup scare.
As night fell under curfew, Bissau's streets—once alive with campaign fervor—lay eerily silent, patrolled by soldiers. Analysts warn this ninth major putsch since independence could ripple across West Africa, where eight countries have seen successful coups in the past four years, eroding ECOWAS' anti-junta stance. Drug trafficking, which funds much of the instability, thrives in such vacuums, potentially drawing in neighboring Senegal and Guinea. For now, the military's promise of "clarification" hangs in the balance, as Guinea-Bissau teeters between democratic hope and familiar chaos.
The AU's Election Observation Mission, in its November 25 preliminary statement, had lauded the vote's conduct but flagged unresolved disputes over the CNE's leadership and candidate disqualifications as risks. With results now indefinitely postponed, the path forward remains obscured. Embaló's allies have hinted at fresh polls under military oversight, but Dias' supporters decry it as a power grab. Regional mediators may convene urgently, but history suggests resolutions are elusive in this fragile archipelago state.
