Guinea-Bissau’s military appointed a general as the country’s new leader for the duration of one year on Thursday, a day after seizing power, arresting the president and derailing the announcement of election results.
The capital was at a standstill as the coup entered its second day on Thursday, with most shops and markets closed, AFP said.
The country’s new leaders banned protests, and a heavy security presence was visible in the streets of Bissau, with soldiers patrolling the area around the presidential palace, where heavy gunfire marked the beginning of the coup a day earlier.
Sandwiched between Guinea and Senegal, Guinea-Bissau has experienced four coups since its independence from Portugal in 1974, as well as multiple attempted coups. Its election results are often contested.
After taking the oath of office at the military’s headquarters, General Horta N’Tam, chief of staff of the army, declared that “I have just been sworn in to lead the High Command”.
He is considered to have been close in recent years with ousted President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, whom he now replaces as leader.
Dozens of heavily armed soldiers were at the scene as he told a press conference that actions were necessary “to block operations that aimed to threaten our democracy”.
Officers on Wednesday said they had seized “total control” of the country, suspending the electoral process as Guinea-Bissau awaited the results of last Sunday’s vote, which pitted Embalo against opposition candidate Fernando Dias.
N’Tam said evidence had been “sufficient to justify the operation” adding that “necessary measures are urgent and important and require everyone’s participation”.
On Wednesday afternoon, General Denis N’Canha, head of the presidential military office, told journalists that the military was assuming control of the country “until further notice” after a plan involving “drug lords” had been uncovered, including “the introduction of weapons into the country to alter the constitutional order”.
In addition to halting “the entire electoral process”, he said military forces had suspended “all media programming”.
All land, air and sea borders were reopened Thursday after being sealed off, according to a general.
The High Command, created under the new military government, additionally lifted the country’s curfew and ordered the “immediate reopening” of markets, schools and private institutions in a statement Thursday.
It additionally warned against rallies, saying that it “strictly prohibits any demonstration, march, strike or action that disrupts peace and stability”.
‘Coup could benefit Embalo’
Members of Guinea-Bissau’s diaspora and researchers told journalists that they questioned the true motives behind the power grab, which they say could ultimately benefit ousted Embalo.
According to researchers interviewed by AFP, unverified preliminary results circulating before the coup showed opposition candidate Dias as the winner of the election.
“I doubt the veracity of the allegations put forward by the High Military Command regarding the restoration of order”, a West African researcher told AFP on Thursday.
The coup occurred the day before the expected announcement of provisional results, with both Embalo and Dias claiming victory.
“This is a coup aimed at preventing the opposition candidate, Fernando Dias, from seizing power”, the researcher said.
According to him, “this is the ideal scenario for Mr Embalo, who could, following negotiations, be released and potentially reposition himself for the next elections”.
Embalo was arrested on Wednesday, as was his arch-rival, opposition leader Domingos Simoes Pereira, who was barred from last weekend’s presidential election by the Supreme Court.
In its statement, the High Command said that Embalo remained in “good health”.
AU, ECOWAS, Nigeria condemn coup
The African Union (AU) unequivocally condemned the coup on Thursday and demanded Embalo’s immediate and unconditional release, while the chair of the West African regional bloc ECOWAS called the affair a “grave violation of Guinea-Bissau’s constitutional order”
ECOWAS chair and Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio said he is heading a virtual summit with fellow heads of state and government to discuss the “current political situation”.
The West African region has been rife with coups in recent years, with Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Guinea all seeing their governments toppled.
Also, Nigeria has condemned in strong terms the military coup in Guinea‑Bissau, describing it as an unconstitutional change of government that threatens democratic progress in West Africa.
In a statement signed by Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Thursday, Nigeria said it learned “with profound dismay and deep concern the unfortunate military coup which has led to an unconstitutional change of government in the Republic of Guinea‑Bissau.”
The government warned that the act of insurrection undermines constitutional order and stability not only in Guinea‑Bissau but across the sub‑region.
“This coup d’état represents a blatant violation of the fundamental principles of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, which explicitly rejects any ascension to power through unconstitutional means,” the statement read.
Nigeria expressed solidarity with the people of Guinea‑Bissau and demanded the immediate restoration of constitutional order.
The statement also called for the release of all those detained and respect for democratic institutions.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria unequivocally calls on the authorities in Guinea‑Bissau to ensure and guarantee the safety of all election observers still in the country on official assignment,” the statement added.
The government urged all actors to exercise restraint and prioritise dialogue. “We warn that those behind this act will be held accountable for their actions, which threaten to plunge the nation into chaos and reverse the hard‑won gains of its democracy,” it said.
Nigeria further pledged to work with ECOWAS, the African Union, and international partners to ensure a swift return to normalcy. “We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to the promotion of democracy, peace, and stability across the African continent,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has been reported safe and has left Guinea‑Bissau. He was earlier said to be among the AU and ECOWAS observers trapped in the country following Wednesday’s military coup.
Jonathan departed on a special flight alongside members of his delegation, including Mohammed Ibn Chambas, according to the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
10 African coups in five years
The military takeover in Guinea-Bissau brings the number of coups on the turbulent continent of Africa in five years to 10.
Mali
Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was overthrown by five army colonels in August 2020.
In May 2021, the Malian military took over from the civilian leaders of an interim government.
Colonel Assimi Goita, who led both coups, was sworn in as transitional president.
After promising to hold elections in February 2024, the military put them off indefinitely, pointing to the jihadist violence plaguing the country.
In July 2025, Goita approves a law granting himself a five-year presidential mandate, renewable without election.
Guinea
On September 5, 2021, mutinous troops led by Lieutenant-Colonel Mamady Doumbouya took over in Guinea, arresting President Alpha Condé.
Doumbouya, in early November 2025, submits his candidacy ahead of the December 28 elections that are meant to restore constitutional order.
Sudan
After weeks of tension between the military and civilian leaders who had shared power since the ousting of dictator Omar al-Bashir, the armed forces led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan staged a new coup on October 25, 2021.
Since April 2023, war has raged between the regular armed forces led by Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by his former deputy, Mohammed Hamdan Daglo.
The conflict has so far killed tens of thousands of people and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso underwent two military coups in 2022.
In January that year, mutinous soldiers led by Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba arrested President Roch Marc Christian Kabore.
Then, in September, army officers announced they had dismissed Damiba. Captain Ibrahim Traore became the transitional president, but the elections he promised did not materialise. In May 2024, the junta authorises him to stay for another five years in a country wracked by Islamist violence.
Niger
On July 26, 2023, members of the presidential guard overthrew Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum, elected in 2021. General Abdourahamane Tiani, head of the presidential guard, took over.
In March 2025, the junta extended by at least five years its transitional leadership of the country, which is plagued by jihadist violence.
Gabon
In Gabon, ruled for 55 years by the Bongo family, army officers on August 30, 2023, overthrew President Ali Bongo Ondimba, less than an hour after he was declared the winner of an election the opposition says was fraudulent.
General Brice Oligui Nguema is named the transitional president.
In April 2025, he was elected president with 94.85 per cent of the vote. He is sworn in based on a new constitution approved by referendum during the transition.
Madagascar
In October 2025, the military ousted Madagascar’s president, Andry Rajoelina and took power following weeks of “Gen Z” anti-government protests.
Army colonel Michael Randrianirina was sworn in as Madagascar’s new president, promising elections within 18 to 24 months.
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