There is tension following reports of heavy gunfire as the military hierarchy of Guinea-Bissau announced that it had successfully foiled another attempted coup just weeks before the nation’s general elections.

In an official statement, the army confirmed it had “thwarted an attempt to subvert the constitutional order,” revealing that several senior military officers had been detained for allegedly plotting to destabilise the government ahead of the November 23 legislative and presidential polls.

According to the statement, the arrests were carried out late on October 30, barely hours before the official start of the election campaign period.

Among those taken into custody was Brigadier General Daba Nawalna — also known as Dahaba Na Walna — who serves as the director of the Cuméré Military Training Centre and is a former president of the Military High Court.

“He was apprehended at his residence in Bissau,” the statement read, adding that investigations into the alleged conspiracy were ongoing.

The latest development has further deepened political unease in the small West African nation, which has suffered repeated coups and mutinies since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974.

In August, President Umaro Sissoco Embaló dismissed Prime Minister Rui Duarte de Barros and replaced him with Braima Camara, a former coordinator of the opposition Madem G15 party.

The move was seen by critics as part of Embaló’s maneuvering to strengthen his grip on power ahead of the polls.

Opposition figures argue that Embaló’s first term should have ended on February 27, 2025, but the Supreme Court ruled that it would legally continue until September 4.