Kuwait city: Some army officers have arrested Guinea-Bissau's outgoing president Umaro Sissoco Embalo at the Presidential Palace and seized power in the country, according to local media reports. The move came on the eve of the expected announcement of results from a hotly contested presidential election in Guinea-Bissau, said the reports.
According to Kuwait News Agency, several high-ranking army officers and Minister of Interior Botche Cand© were also reportedly arrested. The army officers were quoted as saying that they had deposed President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, suspended the electoral process, shut borders, and would enforce a curfew.
Shortly before the latest developments, gunfire was heard near the Presidential Palace and the electoral commission headquarters. The electoral commission was due on Thursday to announce provisional results from Sunday's election, in which Embalo and top challenger Fernando Dias were key rivals. Both sides had claimed victory in the first round of voting.
Located between Senegal and Guinea, Guinea-Bissau witnessed at least nine military coups during the period between 1974 and 2020.