{"id":54530,"date":"2025-11-27T08:23:02","date_gmt":"2025-11-27T13:23:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/general-named-new-guinea-bissau-leader-a-day-after-coup\/27\/11\/2025\/"},"modified":"2025-11-27T08:23:02","modified_gmt":"2025-11-27T13:23:02","slug":"general-named-new-guinea-bissau-leader-a-day-after-coup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/general-named-new-guinea-bissau-leader-a-day-after-coup\/27\/11\/2025\/","title":{"rendered":"General named new Guinea-Bissau leader a day after coup"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n<\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">An army general has been sworn in as Guinea-Bissau&#8217;s new head of state a day after an apparent coup.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Gen Horta N&#8217;Tam becomes the transitional president for a period of one year. He took the oath on Thursday, in brief and muted proceedings in the army headquarters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The military had already suspended the electoral process and blocked the release of the results of Sunday&#8217;s presidential election which were expected on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Some civil society groups in Guinea-Bissau have accused outgoing President Umaro Sissoco Embal\u00f3 of masterminding a &#8220;simulated coup&#8221; against himself with the help of the military, saying it was a ruse to block election results from coming out in case he loses.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;This manoeuvre aims to prevent the publication of the electoral results scheduled for tomorrow, November 27,&#8221; the civil society coalition Popular Front said in a statement on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The president has not responded to the allegations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Guinea-Bissau has witnessed at least nine coups or attempted coups over the last five decades.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>President Umaro Sissoco Embal\u00f3 has not commented on claims he helped to stage the coup against him [AFP via Getty Images]<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The latest of these, on Wednesday, saw a group of military officers announce they have seized control of the country, following reports that President Embal\u00f3 had been arrested.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The officers then appeared on state TV, saying they had suspended the electoral process.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">They said they were acting to thwart a plot by unnamed politicians who had &#8220;the support of a well-known drug baron&#8221; to destabilise the country, and announced the closure of its borders and imposed a night-time curfew.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The election results were expected on Thursday &#8211; both Embal\u00f3 and his closest rival Fernando Dias had claimed victory.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Dias was supported by former Prime Minister Domingos Pereira, who had been disqualified from running.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Late on Wednesday afternoon, Embal\u00f3 told France 24 in a phone call: &#8220;I have been deposed.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Government sources later told the BBC that Dias, Pereira and Interior Minister Botch\u00e9 Cand\u00e9 had also been detained.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The same sources said the putschists had taken army chief Gen Biague Na Ntan and his deputy, Gen Mamadou Tour\u00e9, into custody too.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In a joint statement, leaders of election observation missions from the African Union and the West African bloc Ecowas expressed &#8220;deep concern with the announcement of a coup d&#8217;etat by the armed forces&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">They said the country had been prepared for the announcement of the election results after what it described as an &#8220;orderly and peaceful&#8221; process.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;It&#8217;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,&#8221; they said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Portugal, the country&#8217;s former colonial ruler, has called for a return to constitutional order, with its foreign ministry urging &#8220;all those involved to refrain from any act of institutional or civic violence&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">As of Thursday, the AFP news agency reported that Guinea-Bissau&#8217;s borders had reopened.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Embal\u00f3, 53, had wanted to make history as the country&#8217;s only president to secure a second consecutive mandate in the last 30 years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Guinea-Bissau is one of the poorest countries in the world with a population of more than two million people.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Its coastline has many uninhabited islands, making it ideal for drug traffickers &#8211; with the UN dubbing it a &#8220;narco-state&#8221; as it has been a key transit point for cocaine coming from Latin America to Europe.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"A map showing Guinea-Bissau and neighbouring countries\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"679\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/dDhTwPf_bmTKHGZWSmGBug--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTgxNTtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/bbc_us_articles_995\/a22ca0a36dda8be4bba810d7c4f61e7d\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>[BBC]<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em><strong>Additional reporting by Richard Kagoe<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"A woman looking at her mobile phone and the graphic BBC News Africa\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"295\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/X.EL2n7fcUDVmgCDCHEGmA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTI5NTtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/bbc_us_articles_995\/c7a608b642136b2879dce57f6fb5d461\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>[Getty Images\/BBC]<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>Go to <\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/bbcafrica.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:BBCAfrica.com;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><em>BBCAfrica.com<\/em><\/a><em> for more news from the African continent.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>Follow us on Twitter <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BBCAfrica\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:@BBCAfrica;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><em>@BBCAfrica<\/em><\/a><em>, on Facebook at <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BBCnewsafrica\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:BBC Africa;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><em>BBC Africa<\/em><\/a><em> or on Instagram at <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/bbcafrica\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:bbcafrica;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><em>bbcafrica<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">BBC Africa podcasts<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/articles\/general-named-guinea-bissau-leader-123930095.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An army general has been sworn in as Guinea-Bissau&rsquo;s new head of state a day after an apparent coup. Gen Horta N&rsquo;Tam<br \/><button class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/general-named-new-guinea-bissau-leader-a-day-after-coup\/27\/11\/2025\/\">Read More &rsaquo;<\/a><\/button><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":54531,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/bbc_us_articles_995\/0b4ce1643cfe5f7aeaa356324e123ea8","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54530"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54530"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54530\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54531"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54530"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54530"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54530"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}