Military authorities in Guinea-Bissau on Thursday announced the reopening of the country’s borders, barely one day after seizing power and suspending the electoral process.

General Lansana Mansali, the Inspector-General of the Guinea-Bissau Armed Forces, confirmed the reversal of the nationwide shutdown of entry points.

“All borders are now open,” he told AFP.

Naijaonpoint had earlier reported that officers of the Guinea-Bissau Armed Forces on Wednesday seized “total control” of the country, closing land, sea, and air borders and suspending the electoral process, three days after general elections held on Sunday.

The takeover followed hours of heavy gunfire near the country’s presidential palace, where soldiers blocked the main road linking the building to the city centre.

During an afternoon press briefing on Wednesday, General Denis N’Canha, head of the presidential military office, read out a statement confirming a full military seizure of power.

He said a new high command had been formed to take over governance. N’Canha read the announcement seated at a table, flanked by armed soldiers.

At the time of the coup declaration, President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and his primary opponent, Fernando Dias, had separately announced themselves as winners; Dias had declared himself a winner even as official provisional results from the electoral commission were expected on Thursday.

It was uncertain at the time whether the president had been arrested or placed under military restriction.

In his statement, General N’Canha alleged that the takeover was triggered by discoveries of a destabilisation plot linked to criminal syndicate interests.

He added that the military subsequently halted national media broadcasts, imposed a mandatory curfew on the country, and suspended the entire electoral process.

Guinea-Bissau is considered one of the world’s poorest nations. It remains a crossroads for drug trafficking networks operating between Latin America and Europe.

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