Guinea-Bissau has fallen under military rule following a successful coup d’état on Wednesday, November 26, 2025. Soldiers operating under the banner of the newly formed “High Military Command for the Restoration of National Security and Public Order” have detained President Umaro Sissoco Embaló after a tense standoff and exchange of gunfire at the presidential palace in the capital, Bissau.
The military junta announced on state television that they have assumed “total control” of the West African nation. In a broadcast statement, a uniformed spokesperson declared the immediate suspension of the constitution, the dissolution of all government institutions, and the halting of the ongoing electoral process. The junta has also ordered the closure of all air, land, and sea borders and imposed a nationwide curfew until further notice.
The takeover comes just days after the contentious presidential election on November 23, which saw both President Embaló and his main challenger, Fernando Dias, prematurely declare victory. The junta cited the “manipulation of electoral results” and an alleged plot to “destabilize the country” as the primary justifications for their intervention, effectively nullifying the vote before official results could be certified.
Reports confirm a sweeping crackdown on the country’s political leadership. Alongside President Embaló, soldiers have arrested key figures including the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, General Biague Na Ntan, his deputy General Mamadou Toure, and Interior Minister Botche Cande. Opposition leaders, including presidential claimant Fernando Dias and former Prime Minister Domingos Simoes Pereira, were also reportedly detained and transported to an Air Force base.
International reaction has been swift, with Portugal, the former colonial power, issuing an urgent appeal for the restoration of constitutional order and the guarantee of safety for all detained officials. The coup marks the latest in a series of military takeovers that have destabilized the region, further entrenching the “coup belt” across West Africa.
