Guinea-Bissau Army Installs General Horta N’Ta Na Man as Transitional President After Dramatic Power Grab

Guinea-Bissau’s military has seized control of the country and installed General Horta N’Ta Na Man as transitional president, a day after officers declared they had removed President Umaro Sissoco Embaló from power.

The army, describing itself as “The High Military Command for the Restoration of Order,” confirmed the swearing-in on Thursday, deepening uncertainty just as the electoral commission was expected to release provisional results from Sunday’s presidential poll.

General N’Ta Na Man posed with senior commanders in Bissau shortly after taking the oath, marking a new chapter in the West African nation’s long history of coups and political volatility.

Election Tensions and Shuttered Institutions

The takeover unfolded amid rising tension between Embaló and opposition challenger Fernando Dias, a 47-year-old political newcomer who emerged as his strongest opponent in the contested election.

Opposition leaders are demanding the immediate release of the election results, accusing the military of derailing the democratic process.

“There is no reason to interrupt the democratic process… Dias is demanding that we make these results public,” the coalition backing him said in a message shared with Reuters.

Soldiers have sealed the electoral commission’s offices, and officials confirmed no announcement would be made. Businesses, banks and public offices remained closed on Thursday as residents sheltered indoors despite the end of an overnight curfew.

Accusations of a ‘False Coup Attempt’

Gunfire echoed near the electoral commission headquarters and the presidential palace shortly before the army’s declaration.

Embaló contacted French media to say he had been deposed and that his whereabouts were unclear. Officers did not confirm if he was detained.

Dias later released a video accusing Embaló of orchestrating a “false coup attempt” to halt the election over fears he was losing.

The opposition also called for the release of former Prime Minister Domingos Simões Pereira, detained on Wednesday, according to relatives and security sources.

A Coup-Prone Narco-State

Guinea-Bissau, a coastal nation of just over two million people, has long been a key transit hub for cocaine trafficked from Latin America to Europe. Under Embaló, the trade reportedly flourished, with a recent Global Initiative report describing it as “more profitable than ever.”

The country has endured at least nine coups or attempted coups since independence from Portugal in 1974. Embaló has previously claimed to have survived three attempts during his presidency, though critics accuse him of inflating crises to justify political repression.

Dias campaigned on ending military interference in politics — a promise now thrown into question.

Observers Missing, ECOWAS ‘Deeply Concerned’

Regional observers from the African Union and ECOWAS expressed alarm, saying electoral officials had been arrested and calling for their immediate release.

Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria’s former president and a prominent observer under the West African Elders Forum, could not be reached on Thursday, according to ECOWAS spokesperson Joel Ahofodji.

Liberian senator Edwin Snowe, one of the observers who managed to leave, said he had lost contact with colleagues still inside Guinea-Bissau.

“We don’t intend for the military team of ECOWAS to intervene,” he added. “We are encouraging dialogue and a return to democracy.”