• Soldiers announce suspension of institutions and closure of borders
• President Embaló says he was arrested and denounces a coup
• Events unfold as the country awaits first presidential election results

Soldiers in Guinea-Bissau declared Wednesday that they had taken power from President Umaro Sissoco Embaló in a statement read on national television.

Hours earlier, before the statement was broadcast, gunfire was heard and troops were deployed along the main road leading to the presidential palace, we learned.

The military announced the suspension of all state institutions, the halt of the ongoing electoral process, the closure of land, sea, and air borders, and the imposition of a curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. These measures will remain in place until the situation is clarified and conditions for a return to constitutional order are met.

Jeune Afrique reported that outgoing president Umaro Sissoco Embaló said he was “arrested this Wednesday, November 26, around noon when uniformed men stormed the presidential palace while he was in his office.” He described himself as the victim of a “coup d’État.”

According to the same source, the army chief of staff, General Biague Na Ntan, his deputy, General Mamadou Touré, and Interior Minister Botché Candé were arrested at the same time.

The events come as the country awaits the first results of the presidential election, scheduled for Thursday, November 27, 2025.

After the November 23 vote, both the outgoing president and Fernando Dias da Costa claimed victory.