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| Brigadier General Denis N’Canha (C), head of the military office of the presidency gives a press conference at the General Staff of the Armed Forces on November 26, 2025. |
The military in Guinea-Bissau has declared it is taking “total control” of the country, suspending its electoral process and closing all borders in an apparent coup.
The announcement was made by military personnel at army headquarters in the capital, Bissau, on Wednesday. The move comes just three days after the poverty-stricken West African nation held presidential and legislative elections, with both major candidates having claimed victory.
The military's actions were preceded by unrest earlier in the day. Gunfire was reported outside the presidential palace, and men in military uniform were seen taking over the main road leading to the government building.
Brigadier General Denis N’Canha, the head of the military office of the presidency, later addressed the situation at a press conference held at the General Staff of the Armed Forces.
The military's seizure of power plunges Guinea-Bissau, a country with a history of coups and political instability, into a new period of uncertainty. The suspension of the electoral process directly overturns the results of the recent vote.