Turmoil in the Tropics: The 2025 Coup That Shook Guinea-Bissau

Turmoil in the Tropics: The 2025 Coup That Shook Guinea-Bissau

On November 26, 2025, gunfire erupted in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau's capital, as army officers stormed the presidential palace and seized “total control” of the nation. President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, a former general who rose to power amid past unrest, was arrested without violence around 1 p.m. local time while in his office.

The military, led by Brigadier General Denis N’Canha—head of Embaló's own presidential guard—suspended the electoral process, closed borders, imposed a nationwide curfew, and silenced media outlets.

Triggered by a Disputed Vote

The coup struck just days after the November 23 presidential and legislative elections, delayed from 2024 amid legal battles. Both Embaló and opposition candidate Fernando Dias da Costa claimed first-round victories exceeding 50%, with results due on November 27.

The Supreme Court had disqualified the main opposition PAIGC party and its candidate over paperwork, fueling accusations of rigging.

The junta alleges it foiled a “destabilization plot” involving politicians and drug barons aiming to arm and manipulate the vote—echoing Guinea-Bissau's notoriety as a cocaine transit hub.

Dias da Costa and disqualified PAIGC leader Domingos Simões Pereira were among those detained at a military air base. Sporadic clashes continue, but no major casualties are reported as of late afternoon.

A Pattern of Instability

Since independence from Portugal in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has endured at least nine coups or attempts, exacerbated by poverty (half the population below the poverty line) and narco-trafficking. Embaló, in power since 2020, had survived three prior plots.

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Swift Global Backlash

ECOWAS condemned the “unconstitutional change” and plans emergency talks, potentially invoking sanctions as in Mali. Portugal urged restraint and electoral restoration, while the African Union and UN called for calm. This marks West Africa's seventh coup since 2020, raising fears of regional contagion.

As soldiers patrol a curfew-bound Bissau, the junta's hold appears firm for now, but fractures loom. For Guinea-Bissau's 2 million citizens, this latest upheaval steals yet another shot at stability—unless international pressure revives the democratic ballot.