Soldiers in the West African Muslim-majority nation of Guinea-Bissau have announced the appointment of a new junta leader following a military coup that began after a disputed presidential election.
General Horta Inta-A has been announced as the head of the new military government, which will oversee a one-year transitional period, according to the country’s state broadcaster TGB.
In a statement broadcasted on the state news channel, a group of military officers identifying themselves as the “High Military Command for the Restoration of National Security and Public Order” announced that they “assumed full powers of the state.”
This comes after the military deposed the country’s president, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, on November 26, just as the nation was awaiting the results of a presidential election that took place on Sunday.
The heads of the Joint African Union and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), among other groups, expressed “deep concern” after the move which shocked the nation.
“We express deep concern with the announcement of a coup d’état by the armed forces while the nation was waiting for the announcement of the results. It is regrettable that this announcement came at the time when the missions had just concluded meeting with the two leading presidential candidates, who assured us of their willingness to accept the will of the people,” the organisations said in a joint statement.
The military then suspended all media activities within the country, halted the ongoing elections, closed all borders, and imposed a nine-hour curfew that started at 9 pm local time on Wednesday.
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The organisations which were observing the elections to ensure democratic processes went underway have urged the African Union and ECOWAS to take the necessary steps to restore constitutional order in the country.
“We deplore the blatant attempt to disrupt the democratic process and the gains that have been achieved thus far,” the statement said.
They also raised concern about the arrest of officials, including those that were in charge of the electoral process.
Politics and economy of Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau is one of the world’s poorest countries and has been plagued by consistent attempted coups since its independence from Portugal more than 50 years ago, including a coup attempt a few months ago in October.
The country of 2.2 million people is known as a drug trafficking hub between Latin America and Europe, a trend that foreign analysts and experts say is driving the political instability and crises in the country.
Guinea-Bissau is also one of many Muslim-majority countries in West Africa, with just over 46% of the nation being made up of Muslims.
“The inability of political actors to stem the deterioration of the political climate ultimately prompted the intervention of the armed forces,” said Inta-A, who was the army chief of staff and a close ally of deposed President Umaro Sissoco Embalo until the coup yesterday.
International organisations condemn coup
The whereabouts of the now deposed president Embalo remain unknown. He had told French media on Wednesday that he was arrested as gunshots rattled the presidential palace.
The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, condemned the coup and similarly called for maintaining respect towards the electoral process, whilst demanding the unconditional release of President Embalo and other detained officials.
South Africa also joined other African countries in condemning the coup and called for “the immediate restoration of democracy and completion of the electoral process,” as did France.
The opposition to Embalo had alleged that he had fabricated the coup to avoid election defeat in the already contested presidential vote on Sunday.
Fernando Dias, an opposition member to Embalo, went on claiming that the reported arrest of Embalo was “fabricated” to disrupt the release of election results expected today, as he claimed he had won the vote.
This coup is the latest in a surge of military takeovers in West Africa, where democratic processes have been challenged by disputed elections and claims of electoral fraud.
Nine countries in Africa have experienced a coup (or multiple) since 2020, including Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad, Sudan, Gabon and Madagascar.
Gunshots had reportedly rung out in the main city of Bissau on Wednesday, merely days after the tense election, which Embalo and Dias (opposition) claim to have both won.
