In a shocking and tumultuous event on November 26, 2025, the West African nation of Guinea-Bissau plunged into chaos as military officers seized total control.
Just three days after presidential and parliamentary elections, heavy gunfire echoed near the presidential palace, the national election commission, and the interior ministry in Bissau.
The military declared they had taken “total control” of the country, arresting President Umaro Sissoco Embaló without resistance.
This coup is Guinea-Bissau’s ninth attempt since independence, and it casts a dark shadow over the fragile nation’s future.
The coup leaders formed the “High Military Command for the Restoration of Order” and imposed an indefinite suspension of the electoral process.
All political institutions and media outlets were ordered shut down.
Borders were closed land, air, and sea.
A strict curfew was thrown down, and the internet was swiftly cut off.
Plunging citizens into isolation under fear and uncertainty.
Election Controversy Fueling the Coup
The elections themselves were far from peaceful or transparent.
Both Embaló and his main challenger prematurely claimed victories, heightening tensions.
The main opposition party was disqualified from participating, undermining the election’s legitimacy and sparking widespread frustration.
The military justified their takeover by dismissing the electoral events as a plot involving politicians.
Local and international drug traffickers, and attempts at result manipulation, a gamble that risks intensified instability rather than restoring order.
“Restoration of Order” or Military Overreach?
The military’s claim of restoring order rings hollow amid the event’s brutal disruption.
The coup wasn’t spontaneous; it was a calculated and coordinated strike against democracy and civil governance.
While the military urges calm, the streets of Bissau remain under tense military grip.
The indefinite curfew, border closures, and media blackout all together spell a crisis of freedom and governance, suffocating the hopes of a peaceful transition.
Regional bodies and the United Nations have called for restraint and a return to constitutional rule, but the immediate future looks perilous.
Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan Trapped Amid Coup
The coup’s sudden lockdown and border closures left Jonathan and numerous foreign election observers unable to leave Guinea-Bissau.
Despite this, sources close to Jonathan confirm he remains safe for now.
His plight underlines the unpredictable and dangerous terrain of the current crisis.
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What does this coup mean for democracy in Guinea-Bissau?
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This unfolding story exposes the deep-rooted instability rooted in Guinea-Bissau’s political landscape.
The military’s military’s forceful actions smack of desperation and alarm, yet also inevitably deepen a cycle of unrest that has scarred the nation for decades.
Observers question whether this is truly about “restoring order” or a power grab cloaked in nationalist rhetoric.
Only time will reveal the toll of this coup crowned by fear and silenced voices.
The world watches, the people wait, but the future of Guinea-Bissau remains dangerously uncertain.
