President Umaro Sissoco Embaló of Guinea-Bissau has been reportedly arrested by some senior military officers in an apparent coup.
The President was on Wednesday afternoon detained by just three days after a controversial presidential election that saw both the opposition and President Embalo trading words and claiming victory.
Reports indocate that heavy gunfire erupted around the presidential palace in the capital Bissau shortly after 1:00 p.m. local time (GMT).
Local media and some witnesses reported that soldiers stormed the palace, overpowered the presidential guard, and took President Embaló into custody.In a brief telephone interview with the French-language outlet Jeune Afrique shortly after his arrest, President Embaló confirmed: “I have been arrested by the army. I am currently detained at the palace.” His current whereabouts remain under military control, with no official statement from the armed forces as of Wednesday evening.
Both Embaló and main opposition candidate Fernando Dias da Costa claimed victory before results were announce.
The country’s Supreme Court had barred several major opposition parties, including the historic PAIGC, from participating, prompting accusations of an “institutional coup” in the weeks leading up to the vote.
