A soldier holds his weapon while patrolling a street near the scene of gunfire near the Presidential Palace in Bissau on November 26, 2025. PATRICK MEINHARDT / AFP
Military officers in Guinea-Bissau declared "total control" of the coup-prone west African country on Wednesday, November 26, closing its borders and suspending its electoral process three days after general elections. Their announcement followed heavy gunfire that rang out near the presidential palace earlier in the day, with men in military uniform taking over the main road leading to the building.
In the early afternoon, General Denis N'Canha, head of the presidential military office, told members of the press that a command "composed of all branches of the armed forces, was taking over the leadership of the country until further notice." He read the announcement seated at a table and surrounded by armed soldiers.
Incumbent president Umaro Sissoco Embalo, who had been favored to win Sunday's election, was inside a building behind military headquarters, "with the chief of staff and the minister of the interior," a senior officer told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on condition of anonymity. It was not immediately possible to confirm whether the president had been arrested.
