The government of Guinea-Bissau has announced that it successfully foiled an attempted coup just before the start of election campaigns scheduled for Saturday.
Speaking at a press conference in Bissau on Friday, Deputy Chief of Staff Mamadu Ture said the “action aimed to disrupt the electoral process.”
Ture identified Brigadier-General Daba Nawalna, director of a military training centre, as the alleged mastermind behind the plot.
He did not disclose the number of officers involved but confirmed that Nawalna and other suspects were arrested during an overnight operation coordinated by the army and state security services.
The alleged coup attempt comes weeks before the country’s presidential election, slated for November 23. Incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embaló is widely expected to secure victory following the disqualification of his main opposition rival.
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Guinea-Bissau, a Portuguese-speaking nation in West Africa, has long struggled with political instability and military interference.
Originally planned for November 2024, the election was postponed by Embaló, who cited “political instability, logistical challenges, and disputes over presidential term limits.”
The president’s tenure has been a subject of controversy, with opposition figures and legal experts arguing that his mandate should end in February 2025. Embaló maintains, however, that his term officially began in November 2020, when court challenges to his election were resolved.
Since gaining independence in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has endured multiple coups and failed transitions.
Although relative stability returned after the 2014 presidential vote, recurring power struggles and alleged coup plots continue to threaten the nation’s fragile democracy.
