Guinea-Bissau was thrown into turmoil on November 26, 2025, after a military coup resulted in the arrest of President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and several senior officials. The takeover unfolded as the nation awaited results from the recent presidential election, which Embaló had widely been expected to win.

Following the seizure of power, the military moved quickly to consolidate control. On November 27, 2025, General Horta N'Tam, previously the army’s chief of staff and a close ally of Embaló — was sworn in as transition leader for one year. Speaking at the military headquarters in Bissau, N'Tam told AFP journalists that the intervention was necessary to protect the nation’s democracy from looming threats.

A day earlier, officers led by General Denis N'Canha, head of the presidential military office, declared they had seized “total control” of the country. N'Canha justified the action by alleging a plot involving “drug lords” to import weapons and “alter the constitutional order.” In swift moves, the military suspended the electoral process, halted all media programming, imposed a curfew, and temporarily closed all borders before reopening them hours later.

Reports confirmed that President Embaló was being held at general-staff headquarters and was “well-treated.” Alongside him, the chief of staff, the interior minister, and opposition figure Domingos Simoes Pereira, previously barred from contesting the election by the Supreme Court were all detained during the operation.

International reaction was swift and strongly critical. Chairperson of the African Union Commission Mahmoud Ali Youssouf condemned the coup, calling for the immediate release of Embaló and all detained officials while urging respect for the electoral process. He emphasized the AU’s zero-tolerance stance on unconstitutional changes and its readiness to work with partners like ECOWAS to restore constitutional order.

ECOWAS also issued an emphatic condemnation, reaffirming its position against illegal seizures of power. UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed “deep concern,” while Portugal, the country’s former colonial ruler, discouraged any escalation of violence. Press-freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders criticized the suspension of media programming, calling it a grave violation of citizens’ rights during a national crisis.

Guinea-Bissau, one of the world’s poorest nations, has a history marked by political instability, having experienced multiple coups since independence in 1974. The country has remained a key transit hub for drug trafficking between Latin America and Europe, further complicating governance. The latest coup aligns with a broader regional pattern, as Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Guinea have all faced military takeovers in recent years, raising fresh concerns about democratic backsliding across West Africa.