Guinea-Bissau Coup Leaders Appoint Army Chief as Transitional President
The country’s top military leadership announced on Thursday the appointment of a new head of the military council, consolidating their coup that was declared on Wednesday following the presidential elections held last Sunday.
According to an announcement broadcast on the official national television, the top military leadership appointed General Horta N’ta as head of the military government, which will oversee a one-year transitional period.
N’ta had been the Chief of Staff of the Army until the coup and was a close ally of the ousted President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, whose whereabouts remained unknown until Thursday. Earlier, he told French media on Wednesday that soldiers had detained him amid gunfire near the presidential palace.
Meanwhile, the opposition claimed that Embaló “staged” the coup to avoid electoral defeat in the presidential elections held on Sunday, which were highly competitive.
His rival, Fernando Dias, who like Embaló claimed victory in the elections, said the military takeover and Embaló’s reported detention were “fabricated” to block the announcement of election results that were due on Thursday.
The African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) urged citizens to organize protests against the coup and demand the release of election results.
However, activities appeared normal in the capital, Bissau, on Thursday morning, as businesses reopened and public transportation gradually resumed.
