Guinea-Bissau President Embalo says recent clashes a failed coup attempt

The gunfire that erupted in Bissau, the capital of Guinea Bissau during confrontations between members of the National Guard and Presidential Guard special forces throughout Thursday night into Friday morning, has been described as a plan to remove president Umaro Sissoco Embalo. The president said this while speaking with journalists after he returned from the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates…

Guinea-Bissau’s President Umaro Sissoco Embalo has disclosed that the gunfire and clashes that had erupted in the capital of the West African nation on Friday were an attempted coup to remove his government from office.

The president was away in Dubai where he was attending the COP28 UN climate summit.

Speaking with journalists upon his return from the event, he explained that the events of December 1, are yet another attempted coup and those responsible will suffer serious consequences.

Clashes erupted between two army factions in Bissau on Thursday night and continued on Friday morning after national guard soldiers freed an opposition minister who was detained in a corruption probe.

The tiny West African country has a history of coups and attempted coups. In February 2022, about six people were killed during a failed attempt to overthrow Embalo.

The latest political turbulence is coming at a time when coups or attempted coups are sweeping the West Africa subregion, including Gabon, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, and, last week, Sierra Leone.

The regional ECOWAS and other Western allies including the UK, US and EU have condemned the attack while calling for the perpetrators to be sanctioned accordingly.