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President Umaro Sissoco Embaló of Guinea-Bissau has reportedly been arrested by a faction of the country’s military following rising tensions over the outcome of the 23 November presidential election.
The arrest took place on Wednesday in the capital, Bissau, as security forces loyal to rival political groups clashed around key state institutions.
Heavy gunfire was reported near the national election commission, the interior ministry and the presidential palace, prompting residents to flee the affected areas.
The arrest follows rival claims of victory by President Embaló and opposition candidate Fernando Dias da Costa. Both camps insisted they had secured the votes needed for an outright win, even before the National Election Commission released provisional results.
Witnesses reported sustained gunfire around the election commission’s headquarters on the eve of the expected announcement, raising fears of a wider confrontation between competing factions of the security services.
The political crisis marks a new flashpoint in Guinea-Bissau’s long struggle with instability. Since its independence from Portugal in 1974, the West African nation has experienced a series of coups, attempted takeovers and periods of military intervention in civilian politics.
No official statement from the government or the military leadership on Embaló’s whereabouts or the status of the presidency.
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