A group of military officers in Guinea-Bissau say they have taken control of the country, following reports that President Umaro Sissoco Embaló has been arrested.
Gunshots were heard in the capital, Bissau, on Wednesday before government sources told the BBC that Embaló had been detained.
The development comes three days after a presidential election in which the main opposition candidate was disqualified. Results were expected on Thursday, and both Embaló and his closest rival, Fernando Dias, had already claimed victory.
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Witnesses in Bissau said they heard gunfire around 13:00 GMT. It was not immediately clear who was involved or whether anyone was hurt. AFP reported that many people fled on foot and in cars as shots rang out.
Later in the day, army officers appeared on state television, saying they had formed “the High Military Command for the Restoration of Order” and would run the country until further notice. The soldiers urged people to “remain calm.”
Guinea-Bissau, a former Portuguese colony with a population of under two million, has a long history of coups. There have been nine coups or attempted coups since 1980, including two attempts to remove Embaló, the most recent in December 2023.