West African bloc ECOWAS says coup attempt underway in Guinea-Bissau

“Bissau is quiet but we don’t know what is happening near the government place… We are waiting to know more about what is happening,” Jao said.
Jao added that the power was off in homes saying: “The place is in darkness for about three or four hours. It is not something that happens normally.”

The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also called for an immediate end to the fighting.

“The Secretary-General is deeply concerned with the news of heavy fighting in Bissau,” said a statement on Tuesday.

David Glovsky, assistant professor in Africana Studies at the University of Albany, told CNN that since taking office in early 2020, Embalo “has faced many challenges to his legitimacy, including disputes over his election itself.”

“I doubt many Guineans are surprised by another coup attempt, and yet this is still so disappointing,” Glovsky said, adding: “Regardless of anyone’s feelings on President Embalo — and there is a real range — Guineans have too often been at the mercy of the military, and elite conflicts that do not necessarily focus on the concerns of Guineans across the country.”

Guinea-Bissau’s history has been marked by several military coups since the country gained independence from Portugal in 1974.

These conflicts have ravaged the country’s infrastructure and economy, leaving it among the poorest in the world.