Guinea-Bissau arrests senior army officers for alleged coup attempt

According to the country’s armed forces, a group of army officers have been detained on suspicion of trying to impose themselves.

The alleged coup plot involved several senior officers who were reported missing starting on Monday, and it was revealed the day before the start of the general election campaign.

At a press conference on Friday, deputy chief of staff of the armed forces, General Mamadu Ture Kuruma, said the military “threats to subvert the constitutional order.”

The armed forces General Staff issued a statement stating that “this sad episode, which involves some general and senior officers of our armed forces, threatens the peace and stability that so desperately needs to be achieved in order to promote socio-economic development and attract foreign investment.”

Brigadier General Dahaba Nawalna, the commander of a military training school, allegedly assisted by some generals and senior officers in the coup attempt.

Nawalna, Domingos Nhanke, and Mario Midana were among the senior officers detained on Thursday in their homes in Bissau, according to Kuruma, who did not list all the detained officers.

The alleged coup plotters’ identities and how many of them have been charged with participating were not disclosed. The coup attempt against President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, who came to power in 2020, would be the second known attempt, the most recent of which occurred in December 2023.

No disorder will be tolerated, the statement goes.

Prior to the November general elections, Embalo’s term has suss out in a significant way.

On the eve of the November 23 election campaign for the legislative and presidential elections, Kuruma claimed, “This is indeed a new attempt to subvert the constitutional order.”

In Guinea-Bissau, elections likely to be dominated by the incumbent after the main opposition was disqualified, kick off on Saturday.

After a cabinet meeting on Thursday, Embalo told reporters that “no disorder will be tolerated.” He added that the “government has taken all necessary measures to ensure the safety of each candidate during this campaign.”

Embalo has faced opposition from the political opposition, who claims his five-year term ended at the end of February despite a ruling from the Supreme Court of Justice that it ends on September 4.

Embalo announced in March that he would challenge previous pledges to step down and seek a second term in November.

Embalo’s election as president has been rejected by the opposition. A West African regional bloc mission that was dispatched to Guinea-Bissau in March to help with the crisis abruptly ended, along with threats of Embalo expulsion.