On Tuesday, as Embalo, 49, was presiding over an extraordinary Cabinet meeting in the capital Bissau, heavy gunfire rang out nearby. For hours, Embalo's whereabouts could not be confirmed, raising concerns that an attempted putsch was underway.
OUAGADOUGOU - Cheering crowds welcomed Guinea Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo's election victory in 2020, but his opponents alleged fraud. When he was sworn in before the Supreme Court had ratified the vote, critics called it a coup.
On Tuesday, as Embalo, 49, was presiding over an extraordinary Cabinet meeting in the capital Bissau, heavy gunfire rang out nearby. For hours, Embalo's whereabouts or wellbeing could not be confirmed, raising concerns that an attempted putsch was underway. So far, little is known about what happened earlier in the day. It was not clear who fired the shots or whether anyone was killed. Embalo was seen entering a building at a ministerial compound for the meeting at around 10 a.m. GMT, with a heavy security detail.
"It looks increasingly hard to argue against the idea of coup contagion – that coups in one place inspire them in another – following the chain of events in the past year," said Eric Humphery-Smith, Africa analyst at risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft.Embalo, a former prime minister and former army general, served as prime minister under Jose Mario Vaz from 2016 to 2018.
Its scattered Atlantic islands, mangrove mazes and unpoliced waters are a draw for tourists but also cocaine traffickers en route from South America to Europe.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
West African bloc ECOWAS says coup attempt underway in Guinea-BissauThe Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has called for peace in Guinea-Bissau, as gunfire was heard around the government palace in the capital Bissau on Tuesday, triggering concerns of a coup.
Read more »
Heavy gunfire heard around Guinea-Bissau's government palaceBISSAU, Guinea-Bissau (AP) — Heavy gunfire erupted Tuesday near the Government Palace in Guinea-Bissau's capital, witnesses said, raising fears of a coup attempt in this West African country with a long history of military takeovers.
Read more »
West African bloc ECOWAS says coup attempt underway in Guinea-BissauThe Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has called for peace in Guinea-Bissau, as gunfire was heard around the government palace in the capital Bissau on Tuesday, triggering concerns of a coup.
Read more »
Heavy gunfire heard around Guinea-Bissau's government palaceBISSAU, Guinea-Bissau (AP) — Heavy gunfire erupted Tuesday near the Government Palace in Guinea-Bissau's capital, witnesses said, raising fears of a coup attempt in this West African country with a long history of military takeovers.
Read more »
Analysis: January 6 committee uses Pence team to try to penetrate Trump's West Wing'Many Republicans remain skeptical that a vice president who had always shown ostentatious loyalty to Trump, but who broke with him at the last minute, has any future in a party that remains the ex-President's personality cult,' writes Stephen Collinson
Read more »
Allen police investigating attempted murder, attempted suicideAllen police are investigating an attempted murder and attempted suicide of two family members that took place in a home near Greenville Heights Park on...
Read more »