A group of senior army officers announced on Wednesday that they have seized control of Guinea-Bissau “until further notice,” following the West African nation’s disputed presidential election, French radio RFI reported.
The military has now suspended the electoral process and sealed borders with no official result declared in the elections.
Disputed Guinea-Bissau Presidential Elections
Incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and opposition candidate Fernando Dias da Costa have both claimed outright first-round victory in the fiercely contested presidential election held on 23 November 2025, even before the electoral commission released provisional results.
This comes after the courts initially barred key opposition leader Domingos Simões Pereira and his PAIGC-led coalition from contesting.
Tensions have since exploded in Bissau with heavy gunfire reported around the electoral commission, the Interior Ministry and the presidential palace. Embaló stated he was arrested inside the palace in what he calls a coup attempt by senior officers.
