Our Correspondent | Foreign Front
The African Union (AU) has demanded the “immediate and unconditional” release of Guinea-Bissau’s President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, following a sudden military takeover that plunged the country into fresh political uncertainty.
In a statement posted on X on Thursday, AU Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf condemned the coup in unequivocal terms.
He wrote: “The African Union unequivocally condemns the coup in Guinea-Bissau and demands the immediate and unconditional release of President Embaló and all detained officials.”
The AU’s intervention comes barely 24 hours after senior military officials announced they had seized control of the country.
Military Alleges Plot Involving ‘Drug Lords’
On Wednesday, General Denis N’Canha, head of the presidential military office, told journalists that the armed forces had taken charge “until further notice”. He claimed the takeover was prompted by an alleged plot involving criminals seeking to destabilise the country.
According to him, the coup followed intelligence about “drug lords” planning to smuggle weapons into Guinea-Bissau “to alter the constitutional order”.
The military immediately moved to suspend “the entire electoral process”, halt all media programming, and impose a nationwide curfew. Land, air and sea borders were shut the same day.
However, on Thursday morning General Lassana Mansali announced that the borders had been reopened, though the security situation remains uncertain.
President Held Inside Military Perimeter
President Embaló, widely expected to win Sunday’s election, was reportedly being held inside a building behind military headquarters “with the chief of staff and the minister of the interior,” according to a senior officer who spoke to AFP anonymously.
With communication channels disrupted and media programming suspended, details of the president’s condition remain unclear.
A History of Political Turbulence
Guinea-Bissau, one of the world’s poorest countries, has endured repeated coups and attempted coups since its independence in 1974. Its chronic instability has made it a major transit hub for cocaine trafficking between Latin America and Europe — a trade facilitated by corruption and weak state institutions.
Political stability was a central campaign issue in the recently held elections, with many observers warning that rising tension between political factions could trigger unrest.
The latest coup threatens to further erode fragile democratic gains and raises alarm across West Africa, a region already grappling with a wave of military takeovers.
Regional blocs, including ECOWAS, are expected to issue formal responses in the coming days.
The AU, meanwhile, insists that constitutional order must be restored without delay. “The will of the people of Guinea-Bissau must be respected,” an AU official said, reaffirming the bloc’s zero tolerance for unconstitutional changes of government.
AFP