Guinea-Bissau military appoints Gen Horta N’Ta as transitional leader after coup
Guinea-Bissau's military took over the country on Wednesday, suspending the electoral process and imposing a curfew.
Guinea-Bissau's military has confirmed a new leader, appointing Gen. Horta N'Ta to head a one-year transitional government following a forceful takeover after the country's November 23 presidential election.
According to AP News, N'Ta, the pre-coup army chief of staff and a close ally of deposed President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, was inaugurated during a televised announcement by the military high command on Thursday.
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Guinea-Bissau's military took over the country on Wednesday, suspending the electoral process and imposing a curfew. Gunfire was reported across the capital, and President Embaló, along with several senior officials, was reportedly detained. His current whereabouts remain unknown.
Opposition figures have, however, claimed that Embaló masterminded the coup to avoid defeat in the polls.
"Umaro lost the elections, and instead of accepting the result, he fabricated a coup d'état," Fernando Dias, Embaló's main challenger, said on Wednesday, while confirming that he had not been arrested by the military junta despite earlier reports.
"Once again, we have been the target of a false coup d'état. ... We will liberate ourselves."
Both Embaló and Dias had claimed victory in the polls before the military takeover. Guinea-Bissau, a nation of around 2.2 million people, has faced chronic political instability since gaining independence from Portugal over five decades ago, with numerous coups and attempted takeovers, including one as recently as October.
The country is also a key transit point for drug trafficking between Latin America and Europe, a factor analysts say has worsened its political instability.
The latest military takeover comes amid a rising wave of coups across West Africa, where contested elections and fragile democratic institutions have created opportunities for the armed forces to seize power.
Regional bodies, including the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), have since condemned the Guinea-Bissau coup, describing the military takeover as a blatant attempt to disrupt the country's democratic process.
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