Guinea-Bissau’s military has appointed General Horta N’Tam as the country’s new leader for a one-year transitional period, following a coup that ousted President Umaro Sissoco Embalo.
The move comes after soldiers seized power on Wednesday, suspending the electoral process and detaining Embalo, who was widely expected to win the presidential election.
Gen. N’Tam, who served as the army’s chief of staff, declared that he had been sworn in to lead the High Command, stating that the actions were necessary “to block operations that aimed to threaten our democracy”.
The military cited evidence of a plot involving “drug lords” and the introduction of weapons to alter the constitutional order as justification for the takeover.
The coup has sparked international condemnation, with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union expressing deep concern and calling for the immediate release of detained officials.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also expressed concern over the situation, while Portugal, Guinea-Bissau’s former colonial ruler, discouraged any form of violence.
Embalo, who was arrested on Wednesday, is reportedly being held at the General Staff headquarters and is believed to be receiving “good treatment”.
Opposition leader Domingos Simoes Pereira, who was barred from the election, has also been detained.
The military has imposed a curfew, suspended media programming, and temporarily closed borders, although they have since been reopened.
Guinea-Bissau, a small West African nation, has experienced four coups since independence from Portugal in 1974 and is known for its history of political instability and drug trafficking.
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