On November 28, 2025, the military in Guinea-Bissau swiftly seized power on Wednesday and on Thursday (November 27), announced that Brigadier General Horta N’Tam would serve as the interim president. On the same day, with the assistance of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the ousted president Umaro Sissoco Embalo arrived in Senegal on a special flight.
This coup occurred on the eve of the announcement of the weekend election results, marking the latest in a series of military takeovers in West and Central Africa in the past five years. It once again highlighted the long-standing political fragility and deep penetration of drug forces in Guinea-Bissau as structural issues.
The self-proclaimed “Advanced Military Command for the Restoration of Order” announced through television on Wednesday that they had seized power, claiming that it was to prevent the “conspiracy of politicians and drug traffickers” from destabilizing the country, without providing specific details.
N’Tam made his first public appearance on Thursday as the head of the military government, dressed in military uniform and accompanied by several high-ranking military officers. He stated that the coup was aimed at preventing “drug traffickers from hijacking Guinea-Bissau’s democracy” and declared an immediate one-year transition period.
During the subsequent swearing-in ceremony, N’Tam appointed Colonel Tomas Djassi as the new Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, solidifying the military personnel layout.
A day before the coup, a fierce one-hour gun battle erupted near the Electoral Commission and the Presidential Palace in the capital, Bissau. Embalo later confirmed to French media that he had been ousted. The military’s statement released on Thursday claimed that Embalo and several senior officials were “under the control of the military command.”
Chairman of the African Union (AU) Mahmoud Ali Youssouf immediately condemned the coup, demanding the immediate release of Embalo and all detained officials. Heads of ECOWAS member countries held an emergency video conference on the same day, with representatives from Nigeria, Senegal, Liberia, and the AU attending. The European Union also called for the restoration of constitutional order and allowing the vote counting process to continue.
Following the coup, the main streets of the capital were sparsely populated, with most businesses and banks closed. Armed soldiers strengthened their presence at major intersections, and social activities in the city visibly diminished, creating a tense atmosphere overall.
Before the coup, 47-year-old political newcomer Fernando Dias was seen as Embalo’s main challenger. Dias accused Embalo of orchestrating the coup in a video, claiming it was to prevent the announcement of election results after his likely defeat. His political party alliance strongly demanded the immediate release of the preliminary results of the Sunday election by the authorities.
Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Domingos Simoes Pereira was arrested on Wednesday, as police used tear gas to disperse protesters gathered outside his detention location. Police also dispersed crowds around Dias’ residence, with reports of live gunfire, but no casualties have been reported as of now.
The election observation missions of the African Union and ECOWAS jointly called for the release of detained electoral officials on Wednesday. Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, who had visited the country as part of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) observer mission, currently could not be reached, as confirmed by ECOWAS spokesperson Joel Ahofodji.
The Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly demanded the safety of all observers, warning that “anyone endangering the observers will be held accountable.”
Guinea-Bissau, located between Senegal and Guinea, is a crucial transit point for South American cocaine smuggling to Europe, plagued by drug trafficking infiltration and military-political issues. Since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974 until Embalo took office in 2020, there have been nine coups or attempted coups.
Lucia Bird Ruiz-Benitez de Lugo, an expert on illicit economies in West Africa, stated that politics and drug trafficking in the country are “closely intertwined,” with the electoral campaigns sponsored by several major drug lords. “There is no indication that the influence of cocaine on politics will weaken due to the coup,” she added.