- The West African nation of some 2 million people has seen decades of military interference, with more than a dozen coups, attempted coups, mutinies and assassinations

ISTANBUL

With yet another transfer of power at gunpoint, Guinea-Bissau has once again been thrust into political uncertainty, a recurring cycle in the country since independence from Portugal in 1974.

A group of military officers seized control on Wednesday, announcing the overthrow of President Umaro Sissoco Embalo and accusing him of plotting to “destabilize” the nation. The coup unfolded as Guinea-Bissau awaited tense election results from Sunday’s presidential and legislative polls, with both incumbent Embalo and independent challenger Fernando Dias having claimed victory.

For many in the country, it was a familiar scene: since 1994, no democratically elected president has ever completed a second successive term.

Guinea-Bissau, a small West African nation of some 2 million people, has endured decades of military interference – more than a dozen coups, attempted coups, mutinies, and assassinations – leaving democratic institutions fragile and political transitions perennially unstable.

Here is a detailed timeline of the military interventions that have shaped the country’s history:

November 1980

Luis Cabral, the first president of Guinea-Bissau, was ousted from office in a bloodless coup led by Prime Minister Joao Bernardo Vieira.

Vieira had become the president of the People’s National Assembly in 1973, then defense minister in 1974, and took on the post of prime minister in 1978.

November 1985

Vice President Paulo Correia and several senior military officers were accused of allegedly plotting a coup against President Vieira over economic reforms backed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). They were convicted and executed the following year.

March 1993

A mutiny by military units in the capital Bissau led to the killing of Maj. Robalo Gomes de Pina, the head of an elite security unit. In the aftermath of what Vieira’s government said was an alleged coup attempt, several individuals, including opposition leaders, were arrested.

June 1998

A failed coup attempt led to civil war after President Vieira sacked his army chief, Brig. Gen. Ansumane Mane, accusing him of allegedly aiding separatists.

May 1999

Vieira was overthrown after months of fighting with Mane’s forces. He first took refuge in the Portuguese Embassy and then went into exile in Portugal the next month.

September 2003

President Kumba Yala was ousted in a bloodless coup led by military leader Gen. Verissimo Correia Seabra amid mounting political and economic crises, including delays in voter registration, unrest within the army over unpaid wages, and general instability.

October 2004

A military mutiny resulted in the killings of Gen. Seabra and Col. Domingos de Barros, escalating political instability and threatening the transition process.

March 2009

Vieira, who had returned from exile and become president again in 2005, was assassinated by soldiers loyal to his army chief and main rival, Gen. Batista Tagme Na Waie.

Vieira was shot dead just a day after Na Waie was assassinated in a bomb blast.

April 2010

Soldiers besieged Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Junior’s office and detained him along with army head Zamora Induta and navy chief Admiral Bubo Na Tchuto.

December 2011

Another failed coup attempt led to clashes between factions of the armed forces led by Na Tchuto and army chief Antonio Injai.

The unrest happened when President Malam Bacai Sanha was in Paris for medical treatment, and it forced Prime Minister Gomes Junior to take refuge at a foreign embassy.

April 2012

Two weeks before a presidential election runoff, the military seized power. Soldiers took over key institutions and detained Raimundo Pereira, the interim president, along with the two main election contenders, Gomes Junior and Kumba Yala.

February 2022

Armed men attacked the presidential palace during a Cabinet meeting.

The assault was repelled and President Embalo survived what he later described as an organized assassination attempt linked to drug trafficking.

November 2023

National Guard forces stormed a police station to release government officials arrested for corruption.

The incident led to violent clashes between the National Guard and pro-government forces, resulting in at least two deaths and several injuries.

Embalo dismissed National Guard Commander Victor Tchongo, whom he accused of orchestrating the attempted coup, and then dissolved parliament.

October 2025

The army announced the arrest of several senior military officers, accusing them of attempting a coup, with the alleged plot emerging just days before the start of the country’s general election campaign.

November 2025

Gunfire was reported around the presidential palace and electoral commission headquarters on Nov. 26, and Embalo told news outlet Jeune Afrique that he was detained around noon along with the army chief, deputy chief of staff, and the interior minister.

A group of officers, calling themselves the High Military Command for the Restoration of National Security and Public Order, announced they had seized power, claiming they acted after discovering a plot to “destabilize” the country, involving national politicians, a “well-known drug baron,” and foreigners, as well as attempts to manipulate election results.

Following the takeover, the military announced sweeping measures, including the dissolution of all state institutions, a halt to the electoral process, border closures, a nationwide curfew, and suspension of media activity.

Embalo confirmed to France 24 that he had been deposed, saying he was being held at the military’s general staff headquarters.

Meanwhile, his challenger Dias – also claiming victory – insisted it was the president who “fabricated” the crisis after “losing the election.”

“We managed to escape. At this moment, we are in a safe place,” Dias said in a video message posted on Wednesday.

Late Thursday, the coup leaders appointed Gen. Horta Inta-A as transitional president, while Embalo was flown out of the country to Senegal “safe and sound,” according to the Senegalese Foreign Ministry.