Hours after gunshots were heard near the Guinea-Bissau electoral commission headquarters on Wednesday, a group of military officials announced a takeover of the government until “further notice.”
The gunfire lasted for about an hour. However, no casualties were recorded.
The army, in its speech, announced the removal of incumbent President Umaro Embalo from power, the halt of the electoral process, the closure of the country’s borders, and the imposition of a curfew.
This has drawn criticism across West Africa, with several governments and regional blocs calling for a return to constitutional order.
The Nigerian government described the coup as a breach of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance. It also noted that the coup undermined the regional commitments member states have made to constitutional rule and political stability.
The election observer missions of the African Union and ECOWAS also called the coup an attempt to erode the country’s progress toward stability.
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