Military officers in Guinea Bissau announced on Wednesday that they have taken full control of the country.
They also declared that the electoral process has been suspended and ordered all national borders to be closed immediately. This came just 72 hours after legislative and presidential elections were held in the troubled West African nation.
The officers described their move as “total control”, saying unrest and ongoing hardship in the country pushed them to act. Guinea Bissau has been battling poverty, political tension, and repeated military involvement for many years.
The announcement was read out at the army headquarters in Bissau, the capital.
Earlier in the day, residents and political observers reported hearing intense gunfire around the Presidential Palace. The gunshots caused panic across the city, as people hurried to find safety.
Men dressed in military uniforms, believed to be soldiers, blocked off the major road leading to the palace. Their presence restricted movement and heightened fear among civilians.
Guinea Bissau has a long record of political crisis and coups, and it is often described as one of West Africa’s most coup-prone countries—an image it has struggled to change