In a press conference held in Bissau, the capital city, on
Friday, Mamadu Ture, deputy chief of staff, said the “action aimed to disrupt
the electoral process”.

Though Ture did not specify the number of military officers
arrested, he accused Daba Nawalna, a brigadier-general and director of a
military training centre, of being the mastermind of the alleged plot.

Nawalna and his alleged co-conspirators have been detained
following a coordinated overnight operation by the army and state security
services.

Guinea-Bissau’s presidential election is scheduled for
November 23, with incumbent President Umaro Embaló expected to win following
the disqualification of the main opposition.

However, the Portuguese-speaking West African nation has
been embroiled in deep political instability long before recent events.

The election had been scheduled for November 2024, but
Embaló postponed the exercise, citing political instability, logistical
challenges and disputes over presidential term limits.

Embaló’s term of office has come under scrutiny after
opposition and judicial authorities argued that he ought to have vacated office
in February 2025.

But the president has insisted that his official term began
in November 2020 – when legal challenges to his election were resolved.

Guinea-Bissau has experienced a tumultuous history of coups
since its independence in 1974.

It has since stabilised since its 2014 presidential
election, but constant power struggles, alleged coup attempts, and
institutional disputes threaten the country’s fragile democratic gains.