Heavy gunfire has been heard within the capital of Guinea-Bissau close to the seat of the federal government, in line with media experiences.
Armed males surrounded the federal government palace on Tuesday, the place President Umaro Sissoco Embalo and Prime Minister Nuno Gomes Nabiam had been believed to have gone to attend a cupboard assembly.
The state broadcaster reported that the taking pictures has broken the federal government palace, which is positioned near the airport, and that “invaders” are holding authorities officers.
Al Jazeera’s Nicolas Haque, reporting from Dakar in neighbouring Senegal, mentioned it was unclear whether or not the gunfire was the presidential guards making an attempt to guard the president, or if there was an assault on the federal government palace.
Portugal’s overseas affairs minister mentioned that Embalo was at his official residence, nevertheless it was not clear if the assault on the federal government was over.
“The most recent data I’ve is constructive provided that the president is already at his palace, at his official residence … however we nonetheless don’t know if the assault is over,” Augusto Santos Silva mentioned in an interview with Portuguese broadcaster RTP.
Folks had been seen fleeing the world, the native markets had been closed and banks shut their doorways, whereas army automobiles laden with troops drove via the streets, in line with AFP information company.
If confirmed, this may be the second coup in West Africa in as many weeks after the army seized energy in Burkina Faso final week.
In the meantime, the West African regional bloc ECOWAS condemned what it described as an tried coup in Guinea-Bissau, which has a historical past of political instability.
“ECOWAS is following with nice concern the evolution of the scenario in Guinea-Bissau…the place army gunfire is going down across the authorities palace,” the organisation mentioned.
“ECOWAS condemns this tried coup and holds the army chargeable for the protection of President Umaro Sissoco Embalo and members of his authorities.”
For its half, the African Union mentioned it was very involved about what it additionally described as an tried coup and known as on the army to free detained authorities members.
“The President of the African Union Fee, Moussa Faki Mahamat, is following with grave concern the scenario in Guinea-Bissau, consisting of an tried coup towards the nation’s authorities,” the AU mentioned in an announcement.
“He calls on the army to return to their barracks directly and to guard the bodily security of President Umaro Sissoco Embalo and members of his authorities and to instantly free these of them who’re in detention,” it mentioned.
The West African nation has suffered 4 army putsches since gaining independence in 1974, most just lately in 2012.
‘Deeply involved’
UN chief Antonio Guterres additionally known as for a direct finish to the preventing.
“The Secretary-Basic is deeply involved with the information of heavy preventing in Bissau,” mentioned an announcement on Tuesday.
Guterres known as “for a direct finish to the preventing and for full respect of the nation’s democratic establishments”.
Embalo, a 49-year-old reserve brigadier normal and former prime minister, took workplace in February 2020 after successful a second-round runoff election that adopted 4 years of political infighting below the nation’s semi-presidential system.
He was a candidate for a celebration known as Madem, comprised of rebels from the African Get together for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) which had led Guinea-Bissau to independence.
His chief opponent, PAIGC candidate Domingos Simoes Pereira, bitterly contested the end result however Embalo declared himself president with out ready for the result of his petition to the Supreme Court docket.
Since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has skilled 4 coup d’etats and greater than a dozen tried coups.
In line with Haque, grievances amongst the army “have been brewing for a very long time in Guinea- Bissau”. There may be plenty of “resentment” from the army in the direction of the federal government, he mentioned.
The small nation of about 1.5 million folks has lengthy been beset by corruption and drug trafficking. Within the 2000s, it grew to become often called a transit level for cocaine between Latin America and Europe as traffickers profited from corruption and weak regulation enforcement.
Three international locations in West Africa – Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso – have skilled army takeovers in lower than 18 months.
“If it is a coup, it is a large blow to the area,” Haque mentioned.
“It appears that evidently what has occurred in Mali … and its obvious success, has knowledgeable different militaries within the area that they’ll take up energy,” he added.
The area’s mounting instability is because of be mentioned on Thursday at a summit of the ECOWAS.
Emmanuel Kwesi Aning of the Kofi Annan Worldwide Peacekeeping Centre informed Al Jazeera that Guinea-Bissau has been a “fragile state” for many years.
“Within the final 10 years … the advantages of democracy have been trickled down, corruption remains to be endemic, unemployment is problematic, and high quality of training doubtful,” Aning mentioned.
The nation’s inhabitants has additionally elevated dramatically over time, leaving many youths unemployed and uneducated, Aning added.
All of this has been “build up frustration … Notably the place we now have management that doesn’t converse the language and behave in a approach that displays the aspirations and hopes [of the youth],” he mentioned.