In a major escalation of political conflict, the military in Guinea-Bissau has taken control of the government. This action has suspended the country's fragile democracy and forced the president to leave the country. The military takeover was announced just days after a controversial presidential election. This event is the latest problem in the West African nation's long history of political instability. The armed forces have set up a temporary government, closed the country's borders, and cancelled an election where both the current president and his main opponent had claimed they won.
The crisis began with chaos surrounding the election. After the presidential vote on Sunday, both President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and his main rival, Fernando Dias, said they were the winner. This created a very tense political situation. The crisis reached its peak on Wednesday when soldiers appeared on state television. They declared they were taking "total control" of the country and forming a "high military command for the restoration of order." This new military group immediately suspended the electoral process. This happened just before the national electoral commission was due to announce the preliminary results.
People living in the capital city, Bissau, reported hearing continuous gunfire near important government buildings on the day of the announcement. These buildings included the presidential palace and the interior ministry. The removed president, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, and his chief of staff first went to neighbouring Senegal for safety. By Friday, Embaló had travelled further away, arriving in the capital of the Republic of Congo. Meanwhile, the military quickly moved to fill the power vacuum. They appointed General Horta Inta-A as a temporary president and named Ilidio Vieira Te as the new prime minister.
The military's exact reasons for the takeover are unclear, which has led to much speculation among experts. Some analysts suggest that the armed forces stepped in to stop a long and possibly violent political fight between the two candidates. However, others have raised a more concerning possibility. They wonder if this was a staged coup, planned to help the current president. According to this theory, the military would run the country for a short time, and then the president could return as a hero who restores order. This idea is considered plausible because the country has a history where political schemes and real military action are often difficult to tell apart.
The international community has reacted with strong criticism. Regional leaders and the United Nations have demanded that the country's constitutional order be restored immediately. This latest coup attempt casts a shadow over stability in the region. It is a recurring event in a nation that has seen many successful and failed takeovers since it became independent. The immediate future of Guinea-Bissau is now very uncertain, depending on what the military does next and how much pressure other countries can apply.