Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo on Monday, December 4, dissolved parliament after an attempted coup decree.
The president had promised that there would be serious consequences after he learnt that an attempted coup occurred while he was in Dubai for the COP 28 summit.
Earlier on Friday December 1, the president revealed that heavy gunfire that broke out in the capital was in fact an attempted coup.
Notably, the military of the west African nation stated that a man described as the leader of a group of soldiers who tried to free a detained minister and a senior state official in Guinea-Bissau had been caught.
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Events Before the Coup in Guinea Bissau
Further, reports indicated that special forces intervened after attempts to negotiate with the rebel group failed resulting in a fire exchange.
The Finance Minister Souleiman Seidi and the secretary of state for the treasury António Monteiro, who were released, had been detained amid investigations into the alleged irregular withdrawal of Ksh1.7 billion ($10m) of state funds.
Subsequently, the ministers were questioned by anti-corruption inquiry to clarify the payments to 11 companies.
During the grilling, the leader of the opposition political party claimed that the owners of the companies were close to leaders of the country’s governing administration.
After questioning, the ministers were arrested and detained to avoid any interference with further investigations.
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However, the very evening, the National Guard soldiers invaded their police cells armed with AK-47 weapons and bazookas, and helped the officials escape, according to reports by local media.
Earlier Attempts of Coup in the Country
This is the second dissolution of parliament in the country, as well as the second coup attempt.
President Umaro Sissoco Embalo dissolved the parliament in May 2022 noting that it was because of a political crisis.
“This political crisis has exhausted the capital of trust between the sovereign institutions.
“I have decided to give the floor back to Guineans so that this year they can freely choose the parliament they wish to have,” he stated then.
Notably, the West African nation has been unstable and has suffered four military coups since 1974, most recently in 2012.
In 2014, Guinea-Bissau decided to return to democracy, but it has enjoyed little stability since, and the armed forces wield substantial clout.
