Guinea-Bissau has arrested senior army officials over an alleged coup attempt, a development announced by the deputy chief of staff.
This incident highlights ongoing political instability in the West African nation.
A group of senior officers of the Guinea-Bissau army have been arrested on accusations of attempting a coup, deputy chief of staff of the armed forces Mamadou Kourouma said on 31 May 2024.
Senior Officers Detained
General Dahaba Na Walna, Commanders Domingos Nhanke and Mario Midana were among the senior officers of the armed forces arrested on 30 May in their homes in the capital Bissau, Kourouma said.
He did not provide all the names of the arrested officers.
Threat to Constitutional Order
“This is indeed a new attempt to subvert the constitutional order, on the eve of the start of the election campaign for the legislative and presidential elections on 23 November,” Kourouma told a press conference.
According to President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, there have been two attempts to overthrow him during his presidency, the latest in December 2023.
Political Tensions
Embalo has been at odds with the political opposition, which says his current five-year term ran out at the end of February, while the Supreme Court of Justice has ruled that it ends on 4 September.
In March, Embalo said he would run for a second term in November, backtracking on earlier vows to step down. Coups and unrest have been common in the West African country since independence from Portugal in 1974.
