Gunfire near presidential palace as Embalo confirms he's been deposed in Guinea-Bissau.
President Umaro Sissoco Embala of Guinea-Bissau confirmed on an exclusive phone call with France 24 that he was deposed by military officers, who claim to have taken control of the country. The announcement comes just hours after gunfire erupted near the presidential palace.
The situation in Guinea-Bissau remains tense as army officials have reportedly "taken charge" and gunshots are heard near the election commission and all borders are closed. Authorities have not given a reason for the events, which come amid a volatile electoral period.
Military officers claimed to have deposed President Embala, citing the need to clarify the situation before returning to constitutional order. The Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces was among those arrested along with other key officials.
Earlier in the day, Embala told Jeune Afrique that he was being arrested, explaining that men in uniform had stormed the presidential palace while he was in his office. He described the incident as a "coup" and claimed it was led by the army chief of staff.
Meanwhile, Moldova has displayed a Russian drone that fell on its soil outside the foreign ministry, and summoned Moscow's envoy over an "unacceptable" crash.
President Umaro Sissoco Embala of Guinea-Bissau confirmed on an exclusive phone call with France 24 that he was deposed by military officers, who claim to have taken control of the country. The announcement comes just hours after gunfire erupted near the presidential palace.
The situation in Guinea-Bissau remains tense as army officials have reportedly "taken charge" and gunshots are heard near the election commission and all borders are closed. Authorities have not given a reason for the events, which come amid a volatile electoral period.
Military officers claimed to have deposed President Embala, citing the need to clarify the situation before returning to constitutional order. The Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces was among those arrested along with other key officials.
Earlier in the day, Embala told Jeune Afrique that he was being arrested, explaining that men in uniform had stormed the presidential palace while he was in his office. He described the incident as a "coup" and claimed it was led by the army chief of staff.
Meanwhile, Moldova has displayed a Russian drone that fell on its soil outside the foreign ministry, and summoned Moscow's envoy over an "unacceptable" crash.
did u see the pics of the gunfire near the palace? it's like something out of a movie 
i'm worried about the president and the army officials they're being arrested... what's going on in guinea-bissau?? 
and now moldova is summoning moscow's envoy over a russian drone crash 
this world is crazy, one minute it's gunshots near the palace and the next it's russians crashing drones all over europe 
Can you imagine what could've been if they didn't take control? 
I mean, Guinea-Bissau is already facing so many challenges, like poverty and corruption... maybe this is a chance for them to start fresh, you know? 
It's not looking good right now, but hey, the military officers did say they're just trying to clarify things before returning to order. That's gotta be a good thing, right? 
And have you seen that Moldova just got a Russian drone on their doorstep? Talk about an interesting turn of events! 
Maybe it'll lead to some diplomatic breakthroughs or something? 
. It sounds like a real mess. I just want to know why this happened and what's gonna happen next 
. Is it some kind of power struggle or what? And poor France 24 for getting that exclusive call from the president 
. Hopefully, everything gets sorted out peacefully 
but these guns firing near the palace don't exactly fill me with optimism 
.
The situation in Guinea-Bissau seems to be spiraling out of control 
and it's scary to think about what might happen next 
anyway can we talk about layout for a sec? i just reorganized my desktop and now everything is so much more chill 
what's with all these military takeovers lately? is there a pattern or was it just bad timing 
i mean, can't even go about daily life without international incidents anymore 
& what's up with all these military coups? isn't Guinea-Bissau supposed to have a peaceful transition of power? seems like the army's taking matters into its own hands 
still waiting for some real updates from the authorities 
. 
.
anyway, back to guinea-bissau... hope everyone stays safe 
doesn't seem right that they just arrested the president without giving any explanation 
wish there was more info about what's going on 
that sounds super scary!! i feel bad for president embala and the ppl of guinea-bissau, hope everythin gets resolved soon 
and they're not havin it 
oh man, sounds like things are getting crazy in Guinea-Bissau! 
gunfire near the palace, deposed president... hope everyone stays safe 
. i'm thinking of all the people affected by this situation and my heart goes out to them 
. it's like, what even is going on? 
. in the meantime, i'll be over here focusing on my own self-care 
and trying to stay calm 
.