Guinea-Bissau opposition leaders arrested by military, RFI reports
Military officers arrested opposition figures Fernando Dias da Costa and Domingos Simões Pereira, according to FRANCE 24’s sister channel RFI.
Dias da Costa, who claimed victory in Tuesday’s presidential election, and Pereira, the unsuccessful candidate in 2019, are being held at the Bissau air base.
📷 In pictures: Atmosphere in Bissau as military officers announce takeover
Guinea-Bissau’s President Embalo ‘well-treated’, military sources say
Guinea-Bissau’s president, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, has been arrested and is being held at general-staff headquarters where he is being “well-treated”, a military source told AFP.
Military officers have suspended the electoral process in Guinea-Bissau, where Embalo had been favoured to win a second term in last Sunday’s presidential election.
A senior officer additionally confirmed the arrest, adding that Embalo had been detained “with the chief of staff and the minister of the interior”.
Portugal urges Guinea-Bissau to resume electoral process
The Portuguese government called for the resumption of the electoral process in its former colony Guinea-Bissau, where military officers announced they had taken “total control”.
“Given the events that have interrupted the normal constitutional order in Guinea-Bissau, the Portuguese government urges all parties involved to refrain from any institutional or civic violence,” it said in a statement from the foreign ministry.
Lisbon also urged them “to restore the regular functioning of institutions to allow the completion of the vote count and the announcement of the election results.”
“The government is in constant contact with the Portuguese embassy in Bissau to ensure the situation of Portuguese citizens as well as the population in general,” it added.
The country is one of Portugal’s former African colonies that gained independence in the wake of the 1974 Carnation Revolution.
‘I have been deposed,’ Guinea-Bissau’s Embalo tells FRANCE 24
Guinea-Bissau’s President Umaro Sissoco Embalo confirmed he was deposed in an exclusive phone call with FRANCE 24.
“I have been deposed,” Embalo said, adding that he could not talk further without risking his phone being confiscated.
Embalo, now removed from office, said he was “currently at the general staff headquarters”.
⬇️ What’s happening in Guinea-Bissau ?
A group of army officials has reportedly “taken charge” in Bissau, with gunshots heard near election commission and all borders closed.
Authorities have not given any reason for the events, which come amid a tense electoral period, as FRANCE 24’s Caitlin Kelly reports.
Guinea-Bissau military officers say president deposed, state institutions suspended
Military officers in Guinea-Bissau announced president Umaro Sissoco Embalo was deposed and all state institutions suspended until further notice, citing the need to clarify the situation before returning to constitutional order.
Earlier in the day, Embalo told Jeune Afrique that he was being arrested, explaining that men in uniform had stormed the presidential palace while he was in his office.
The Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, General Biague Na Ntan, the Deputy Chief of Staff, General Mamadou Toure, and the Interior Minister, Botche Cande, were arrested at the same time.
He added that no violence had been committed against him during what he described as a “coup”, which he claimed was led by the army chief of staff.
Guinea-Bissau military officers claim ‘total control’ of country
Guinea-Bissau military officers declared taking “total countrol” of the country on Wednesday, just three days after the country held presidential and legislative elections in which both major candidates claimed victory.
Hours before the announcement, gunfire was heard outside the presidential palace, according to an AFP journalist.
Hello and welcome to this liveblog dedicated to the unfolding situation in Guinea-Bissau.
Crédito: Link de origem