Countries with ties to Guinea-Bissau, including Portugal, have called on the Bissau-Guinean armed forces to restore constitutional order after a group of military officers announced they had seized control of the country.
Gunfire echoed through parts of the capital, Bissau, on Wednesday afternoon, prompting residents to flee for safety.
Government sources told international media that the president was taken into custody shortly after the shooting began.
Hours later, uniformed officers appeared on the national broadcaster, declaring that they had suspended the electoral process as the country awaited the results of Sunday’s presidential vote.
They claimed they were acting to prevent an alleged plot involving unnamed political figures and “a prominent drug trafficker” said to be working to destabilize the country.
The officers also announced the closure of national borders and imposed a night-time curfew.
Government officials later indicated that Fernando Dias; the main opposition flagbearer, along with former prime minister Domingos Simões Pereira and Interior Minister Botché Candé, had also been detained.
Preliminary election results had been expected on Thursday, with both Embaló and his main challenger, Dias, claiming victory ahead of the official announcement.
