By Ebi Kesiena
Authorities in Guinea-Bissau say they have prevented a plot to destabilise the government, detaining several senior military officers accused of trying to undermine the country’s constitutional order.
The announcement, reported by AFP, came just a day before campaigning officially begins for both the legislative and presidential elections scheduled to start on Saturday.
Speaking at a press conference in Bissau, the army’s deputy chief of staff, Gen. Mamadu Ture, said the foiled attempt was “aimed to disrupt the electoral process.” He refused to disclose how many officers were arrested or share details of the planned coup.
Among those detained, sources revealed, is Brig. Gen. Daba Nawalna, who heads a military training centre about 30 kilometres from the capital.
President Umaro Embaló, seeking another term in office, had on Thursday warned that his administration would not tolerate any form of disorder during the campaign period. After a cabinet meeting, he told reporters that the government had taken every measure necessary to protect candidates and maintain order throughout the elections.
The arrests mark a tense moment for the small West African nation, where the polls are expected to be dominated by Embaló following the disqualification of the main opposition party.
For decades, Guinea-Bissau has struggled with chronic political instability and repeated coups since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974. Although the country has made efforts to stabilise its democracy since 2014, the military continues to play an outsized role in politics.
This latest incident adds to growing anxiety across West Africa, where a wave of coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Guinea has raised fears of democratic decline.
Despite recent calm, Guinea-Bissau remains one of the region’s most volatile nations. In 2022, an assault on the presidential palace, later described by Embaló as an attempted coup, resulted in several deaths, a reminder of how fragile the country’s political stability remains.
