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Key insights
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Election results disputed: The military coup occurred just after an election where the incumbent was likely defeated.
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Opposition leader detained: Domingos Simoes Pereira, a key opposition figure, was reportedly arrested following the coup.
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Uncertain future: The military junta's promise of a return to normalcy raises doubts among citizens.
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What happened
Guinea-Bissau faced a military coup on November 26, shortly after a presidential election where incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embalo appeared to have lost. Gunfire erupted from the presidential palace, leading to the military's announcement of control to restore order. They claimed to have thwarted a plot involving politicians and drug traffickers. The junta suspended the electoral process and confirmed Embalo's arrest. Opposition candidate Fernando Dias, believed to have won, has gone into hiding, urging citizens to demand election results. The new military leader, General Horta N'Ta, has promised a return to normalcy within a year, but skepticism remains due to the country's history of coups.