Military officers in Guinea-Bissau have announced they have seized power following heavy gunfire in the capital Bissau and reports that President Umaro Sissoco Embaló has been arrested.
According to a BBC report, gunshots were heard around the presidential palace on Wednesday afternoon, prompting hundreds of residents to flee the area.
Shortly afterwards, General Denis N’Canha, head of the military household at the palace, appeared on state television to declare that soldiers had taken control of the country.
Reading a statement, Gen N’Canha said a “High Military Command for the Restoration of Order” had been formed, borders were closed, and the electoral process suspended until further notice.
He urged the population to remain calm.
Government sources confirmed to the BBC that President Embaló had been detained along with his army chief of staff and several ministers.
In a brief phone interview with France 24 shortly before the broadcast, President Embaló stated: “I have been deposed.”
The dramatic developments come just days after Guinea-Bissau held a presidential runoff on Sunday.
Results were expected on Thursday, with both incumbent Embaló and his main challenger, Fernando Dias, already claiming victory. The leading opposition candidate had earlier been disqualified from contesting.
Guinea-Bissau, one of the world’s poorest nations with a population of under two million, has suffered nine coups or attempted coups since independence in 1974.
The country has also been labelled a “narco-state” by the United Nations because of its role as a major transit hub for cocaine trafficking from Latin America to Europe.