Guinea-Bissau’s military authorities on Friday announced that they had foiled an attempt to subvert the constitutional order, arresting several senior officers accused of plotting to derail the nation’s forthcoming elections.
Deputy Chief of Staff, General Mamadu Ture, disclosed this at a press conference in Bissau, saying the move was aimed at disrupting the electoral process ahead of the November general elections.
“This action aimed to disrupt the electoral process,” Ture said, declining to specify the number of officers arrested or the precise nature of their plans.
The announcement came barely 24 hours before the start of election campaigns scheduled for Saturday, roughly three weeks ahead of the legislative and presidential polls.
The elections are expected to be dominated by President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, following the disqualification of the main opposition party from participating in the race.
President Embalo, speaking after a cabinet meeting on Thursday, warned that his administration would not tolerate instability during the campaign period.
He stated, “No disorder will be tolerated. The government has taken all necessary measures to ensure the safety of each candidate during this campaign.”
According to Ture, Brigadier General Daba Nawalna, director of a military training centre located about 30 kilometres from the capital, was among those arrested and is believed to be one of the masterminds of the failed plot.
Military intelligence sources said Nawalna and his alleged co-conspirators were detained following a coordinated overnight operation by the army and state security services.
Although officials have not released further details about the plot, security across the capital Bissau was visibly tightened on Friday, with soldiers deployed around key government buildings and public spaces.
Guinea-Bissau, a Portuguese-speaking West African nation, has long grappled with chronic political instability and a history of coups and mutinies since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974.
The country experienced multiple military takeovers in the decades that followed, often triggered by internal rivalries within the armed forces.
However, since the 2014 presidential election, the nation has made gradual progress toward democratic governance and the rule of law,
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