BISSAU – In a dramatic seizure of power that has plunged the nation into fresh turmoil, Guinea-Bissau's military has deposed President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, suspended all state institutions, and installed a transitional government. The coup, which unfolded on Wednesday, culminated on Thursday with the swearing-in of General Horta Nta Na Man, formerly the head of the presidential guard, as the new leader for a promised one-year transition. The move abruptly halted the electoral process following a contentious presidential vote. The power grab was announced by Brigadier General Denis N’Canha, who leads the newly formed "High Military Command for the Restoration of Order." In a televised address, he justified the military's intervention by citing the need to stop attempts to “manipulate electoral results” and to thwart a purported plot by politicians, allegedly with "the support of a well-known drug baron," to destabilize the country. Gunfire was reported near key government buildings in the capital, including the presidential palace and the election commission headquarters, as the army imposed a curfew and sealed the nation's borders. This latest upheaval marks the ninth coup or attempted coup in the West African nation since its 1974 independence from Portugal, underscoring a persistent cycle of instability. The country, with an average annual income of just $963, is also notoriously a hub for cocaine trafficking between Latin America and Europe, a factor often intertwined with its political crises. The military's narrative, however, is fiercely contested. A coalition of civil society groups and the main opposition candidate, Fernando Dias, have levelled counter-allegations. They contend that President Embaló, who was seeking a second term, may have orchestrated a "simulated coup" to create a pretext for annulling the election results, which were due for release on Thursday, should they prove unfavourable to him. Both Embaló and Dias had already claimed victory in the Sunday poll, which international observers had initially described as orderly. The international community has reacted with swift condemnation. The African Union and the regional bloc ECOWAS jointly demanded the "immediate and unconditional release" of President Embaló and other detained officials. The coup presents a significant challenge to ECOWAS, which has struggled to contain a wave of military takeovers across West Africa. With the military vowing to rule "until further notice," the future of Guinea-Bissau's fragile democracy hangs in the balance, its immediate fate now dictated by the generals in Bissau.