Guinea-Bissau’s president Embaló overthrown, General Horta named new transitional leader
General Horta N’Tam has been sworn in as Guinea-Bissau’s transitional head of state for a period of one year a day after the military said it had seized power from ousted President Umaro Sissoco Embaló.
However, some civil society groups in Guinea-Bissau have accused outgoing Embaló for allegedly masterminding a “simulated coup” against himself with the help of the military, saying it was a ruse to block election results from coming out in case he loses.
The military had already suspended the electoral process and blocked the release of the results of Sunday’s presidential election which were expected on Thursday, November 27, 2025.
“This manoeuvre aims to prevent the publication of the electoral results scheduled for tomorrow, November 27,” the civil society coalition Popular Front said in a statement on Wednesday.
The election results were expected on Thursday – both Embaló and his closest rival Fernando Dias had claimed victory.
Dias was supported by former Prime Minister Domingos Pereira, who had been disqualified from running.
In a joint statement, leaders of election observation missions from the African Union and the West African bloc Ecowas expressed “deep concern with the announcement of a coup d’etat by the armed forces”.
They said the country had been prepared for the announcement of the election results after what it described as an “orderly and peaceful” process.
“It’s regrettable that this announcement came at a time when the missions had just concluded meeting with the two leading presidential candidates, who assured us of their willingness to accept the will of the people,” they said.
Portugal, the country’s former colonial ruler, has called for a return to constitutional order, with its foreign ministry urging “all those involved to refrain from any act of institutional or civic violence”.
Embaló, 53, had wanted to make history as the country’s only president to secure a second consecutive mandate in the last 30 years.
He had initially said he would not seek a second term. Prior to the delayed polls, his legitimacy was questioned, with the opposition saying his term should have officially ended in February 2025.
The president has not responded to the allegations. He has said he has survived multiple coup attempts during his time in office.
However, his critics have previously accused him of fabricating crises in order to crack down on dissent.
Sandwiched between Senegal and Guinea, the West African country is known as a notorious drug-trafficking hub where the military has been influential since independence from Portugal in 1974.
Guinea-Bissau has witnessed at least nine coups or attempted coups over the last five decades.
On Wednesday this week, November 26, 2025, a group of military officers announced that they have seized control of the country, following reports that President Embaló had been arrested.
Gunshots were heard in the capital, Bissau but it was not immediately clear who was involved in the shooting or if there were any casualties.
The officers then appeared on state TV, saying they had suspended the electoral process.
They said they were acting to thwart a plot by unnamed politicians who had “the support of a well-known drug baron” to destabilise the country, and announced the closure of its borders and imposed a night-time curfew.
