The military in Guinea-Bissau has ousted President Umaro Sissoco Embaló from power. The military government explained this decision by stating that a plan to manipulate election results and create an unstable situation in the country had been uncovered.
According to the statement, all political institutions have been temporarily suspended, and sea, air, and land borders have been closed. Gunfire was reported to have been heard in the capital, Bissau. It is said that the President, the Minister of Internal Affairs, and the Chief of the Army were detained in the Presidential Palace, and they were not harmed.
Germany's Foreign Office described the situation as "unstable" and advised its citizens to avoid areas where demonstrations are taking place. In the presidential and parliamentary elections held on November 23, both Embaló and his rival, Fernando Dias da Costa, had declared themselves the winner. The official results were expected to be announced on November 27.
Embaló had been serving as president since 2020. His term had ended several months earlier, and at the end of last year, he dissolved the parliament. Critics have accused him of suppressing the opposition and persecuting activists.
