mOn Wednesday, November 26, 2025, a group of officers calling themselves the “Military High Command for the Restoration of Order” announced that they had taken control of Guinea-Bissau until further notice and closed the borders, on the eve of the publication of the results of the presidential and legislative elections on November 23.
The takeover came after prolonged gunfire around the presidential palace, the headquarters of the National Election Commission and the Interior Ministry, spreading panic on the streets of Bissau. A Reuters journalist at the scene confirmed the chaos.
This election was marked by tight competition. Outgoing president Umaro Sissoco Embaló, 53, is seeking a second term, while PAIGC-backed Fernando Dias, 47 – not included in the vote because he filed late – has also declared himself the winner. According to Reuters, both camps each claimed more than 50% of the vote. The election commission remained tight-lipped, and interim results were expected on Thursday.
Shooting, confusion, panic
On Wednesday, Embalo spokesman Antonio Yaya Seidy told Reuters that gunmen affiliated with Dias attacked the election commission “to prevent the announcement of the election results.” No evidence provided. The Dias camp did not immediately react. But these accusations, in a country where political life often ends in the barracks, are not trivial.
Because Guinea-Bissau lives under the permanent threat of violence. Since 1974, the country has experienced at least nine coups, not counting the attempts Embalo says he has thwarted since he came to power. His opponents accused him of dramatizing tensions to justify arrests and political pressure. He convinces him to fight a network that is ready to do anything to regain control of the country.
Outgoing President Umaro Sissoco Embalo a victim of a coup?
To find
Kangaroo today
Answer
High participation – more than 65%, according to the commission – shows real hope for change. But PAIGC’s exclusion adds a major impact to an already fragmented political landscape. And on Wednesday, a new front opened: Embalo said Young Africa had been arrested at the presidential palace, along with several senior officers, by soldiers he accused of carrying out a “coup”. According to him, no violence was carried out even though shots were fired around the palace and the KPU.
This arrest, confirmed by several local sources, plunges the country further into uncertainty, while PAIGC leader Domingos Simões Pereira’s support for Fernando Dias has made Fernando Dias a credible challenger, and revived old divisions between the presidency, historical parties and the army.
