Olushola Omogbehin
The armed forces of Guinea-Bissau has announced on Wednesday that they had assumed full powers of the country and imposed several emergency measures.
This was disclosed by Army spokesperson, Dinis N’Tchama who said on national television that the military has taken control of the country with the ongoing electoral process immediately suspended.
The military, named “the High Military Command for the Restoration of National Security and Public Order,” said the move was intended to respond to the actions of certain politicians attempting to destabilize the country.
According to the report, President, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, has also been arrested.
Other measures taken included the closure of public institutions, suspension of media activities, as well as the closure of all land, sea and air borders. The military ordered a mandatory curfew from 7:00 p.m. local time to 6:00 a.m. local time.
According to local media, at around 1:00 p.m. local time, heavy gunfire was heard near the presidential palace in downtown Bissau, the capital. Residents nearby fled, and military personnel subsequently took control of the main road leading to the palace.
From Xinhua reports, several senior government officials have been detained, including Interior Minister Botche Cande, Chief of the General Staff Biague Na Ntan, and Deputy Chief of Staff Mamadou Toure.
Describing the election as peaceful and ready for announcement, leaders of election observation missions from the African Union and ECOWAS expressed “deep concern with the announcement of a coup d’etat by the armed forces”.
“It’s regrettable that this announcement came at a 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.”
Meawhile, Chinese Embassy in Guinea-Bissau has issued an emergency consular alert on the same day, urging Chinese citizens in the country to strengthen safety precautions.
Guinea-Bissau on Sunday launched its presidential and legislative elections, with more than 960,000 registered voters set to choose a new head of state and 102 members of the National People’s Assembly.
Embaló who said he has survived multiple coup attempts during his time in office, would have made history as the country’s only president to secure a second consecutive mandate in the last 30 years.
