A military movement calling itself the High Military Command for the Restoration of National Security and Public Order has staged a coup in Guinea-Bissau, detaining outgoing president Umaro Sissoco Embaló.
The coup, which followed heavy gunfire near the presidential palace, came three days after national elections, and one day before the official results of the polls were to have been announced.
Announcing the overthrow on Wednesday, the group announced that they had taken “total control of the country” and “suspended the electoral process.” They also declared that they had ordered the closure of all land, air and sea borders, and an overnight curfew.
President Embaló has been detained by the military and is reportedly “being treated well,” an army officer told French news agency AFP.
Various French media reported that independent candidate Fernando Dias da Costa was also detained by the military, along with the head of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde, PAIGC, Domingos Simões Pereira.
Both Embaló and Dias da Costa had claimed victory at the elections.
Guinea Bissau has been plagued by coups and attempted uprisings since independence from Portugal in 1974.
