On 26 November 2025, Guinea-Bissau’s military seized power just a day before the announcement of results from a tightly contested presidential election. Tension had been building as both the incumbent and the opposition claimed early victory. Gunfire around key government institutions signaled the start of the takeover.The soldiers formed a junta called the High Military Command for the Restoration of National Security and Public Order. They suspended the electoral process, closed the borders, dissolved state institutions, and imposed a nationwide curfew.A day later, the junta installed General Horta Nta Na Man, the former army chief of staff, as transitional president for a one-year period.The military said the coup was necessary because it had uncovered a plot involving politicians and criminal networks aimed at manipulating the election. Critics strongly disagreed, calling the move a calculated attempt to block the release of official results.
