Guinea-Bissau’s military on Thursday, November 27, 2025, installed Major-General Horta Inta-a as transitional president, a day after seizing power in a swift coup that halted the announcement of weekend election results.
According to Senegal’s foreign ministry, ousted President Umaro Sissoco Embaló was evacuated to Senegal aboard a special flight following diplomatic intervention by the West African regional bloc ECOWAS.
The power grab marks the ninth coup in West and Central Africa in just five years, further deepening instability in Guinea-Bissau—a nation long plagued by military interference and notorious for its role in the global cocaine trade.
The self-proclaimed “High Military Command for the Restoration of Order” announced on Wednesday that it had overthrown Embaló, claiming the move was necessary to counter an alleged “destabilisation plan” involving politicians and drug traffickers.
Appearing in uniform on state television, Inta-a justified the coup as a bid to protect the nation from “narcotraffickers” who, he said, sought to “capture Guinean democracy.” He declared that the military-led transition would last one year. Later on Thursday, he appointed Major-General Tomas Djassi as the new army chief of staff.
Coup Follows Disputed Election
The coup occurred a day before provisional results were to be released in the fiercely contested presidential race between Embaló and opposition challenger Fernando Dias. Both candidates had prematurely declared victory.
Witnesses reported heavy gunfire near the electoral commission headquarters and the presidential palace in Bissau on Wednesday, lasting about an hour. Embaló later confirmed to French media, “I have been deposed. I am currently at the general staff headquarters.”
A military statement issued Thursday said that Embaló and several top officials were “under the control of the High Military Command,” hours before Senegal confirmed his evacuation.
Regional and Global Condemnation
African Union Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf condemned the coup and demanded the “immediate release” of Embaló and other detained officials. ECOWAS leaders also expressed strong disapproval and convened an emergency virtual meeting to discuss the crisis, attended by the presidents of Nigeria, Senegal, and Liberia.
The European Union joined the calls, urging the restoration of constitutional order and the continuation of vote counting.
By Thursday, Bissau’s streets were largely deserted, with soldiers patrolling and residents remaining indoors. Businesses and banks stayed closed, and essential services were disrupted.
“I’m very concerned about the prevailing situation,” said Julio Goncalves, a 30-year-old university lecturer. “No pharmacy is open. If somebody is sick, how can they buy medicine or go to the hospital?”
Dias Accuses Embaló of Orchestrating “False Coup”
Before the military installed Inta-a, opposition candidate Fernando Dias released a video accusing Embaló of staging a “false coup attempt” to derail the election after realizing he was losing.
Dias’s coalition demanded that electoral authorities be allowed to release Sunday’s results and called for the release of former Prime Minister Domingos Simoes Pereira, who was detained on Wednesday. Security forces later dispersed a small protest near the detention facility using tear gas and live rounds.
Cocaine Trade and Political Instability
Guinea-Bissau, wedged between Senegal and Guinea, has long been a major transit hub for cocaine bound for Europe. Analysts say the coup is unlikely to disrupt the drug trade.
“Major traffickers financed electoral campaigns in these elections,” said Lucia Bird Ruiz-Benitez de Lugo, director of the Observatory of Illicit Economies in West Africa. “There is no sign the impact of cocaine on politics and governance in Bissau will decrease.”
The country has endured at least nine coups or attempted coups since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974.
Election Observers Missing
African Union and ECOWAS election observers issued a joint statement calling for the immediate release of detained election officials.
ECOWAS spokesperson Joel Ahofodji told Reuters that former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, who led the West African Elders Forum observation mission, was unreachable and his whereabouts remained unknown.
Nigeria’s foreign ministry demanded assurances of safety for all observers, warning that “those behind this act will be held accountable for their actions.”
