President Umaro Sissoco Embalo has confirmed that the recent shootout in Guinea-Bissau’s capital was an attempted coup.
President Umaro Sissoco Embalo has confirmed that the recent shootout in Guinea-Bissau’s capital was an attempted coup. The President met with security forces and expressed his concerns over the latest threat to democracy in the volatile and coup-prone West Africa. “They attempted a coup and failed to materialize their objective,” Embalo said.
The National Guard command had released two ministers detained over alleged corruption, resulting in a shootout with the Presidential Palace Battalion. The President has dismissed the head of the National Guard and warned officers to distance themselves from politicians and serve the nation.
“You are all betrayed by your commander … (and) this is why we advise you to distance yourself from politicians and do your service to the nation,” he told officers.
