Guinea-Bissau’s military has installed General Horta Nta Na Man as transitional president for one year, a statement said, one day after they deposed the country's president in a swift power grab that followed a disputed election.
“I have just been sworn in to lead the High Command,” General Horta Nta Na Man declared, after taking the oath of office in a low-key ceremony at the military’s headquarters in the capital Bissau on Thursday.
The three branches of the armed forces – the army, air force and navy – formally proclaimed Nta's "official installation" for a political transition expected to last 12 months.
Nta served as the army's chief of staff and is considered a close ally of the outgoing president Umaro Cissoko Embolo, who was deposed on Wednesday.
In his 10-minute address, the general justified the takeover, adding that "necessary measures are urgent and important and require collective effort".
He said the army had assumed its responsibilities in the face of a threat by drug traffickers to destabilise the country.
The African Union (AU) Commission chairperson has condemned the military coup and called for the immediate and unconditional release of Embalo and all detained officials, the AU said in a statement
Dias in hiding
The self-styled "High Military Command for the Restoration of Order" announced in a televised statement on Wednesday that they had ousted Embalo, in the latest episode of unrest in the coup-prone country.
The takeover came one day before provisional results had been expected to be announced in the race between Embalo and Fernando Dias – a 47-year-old political newcomer who had emerged as Embalo's top challenger to run the West African state
Embalo is being detained at the general staff headquarters and has made no new statements since confirming his detention to France 24, RFI's sister TV channel.
According to several sources, regional heads of state are looking for a destination for him.
Domingos Simões Pereira, leader of the main opposition PAIGC party, was also arrested on Wednesday and is being held at a central police station.
Dias has not been detained. He told RFI he was in hiding and is safe.
Five magistrates were also arrested and prevented from monitoring Wednesday’s vote count. Eight other opposition figures have been detained, according to the Guinea-Bissau Human Rights League.
Guinea Bissau heads to the polls amid controversy over barred opposition
Deserted capital
The military announced the reopening of borders on Thursday, but Bissau remains at a standstill. Businesses and banks are shuttered, soldiers are on the streets and many residents are staying indoors despite the overnight curfew being lifted at 6am.
Most media outlets are off air – except for national television and radio, which continue to broadcast updates from the army – RFI’s special correspondent in Bissau, Eva Massy, reported.
Many residents have reported difficulty accessing the internet or making phone calls.
On Thursday morning, PAIGC used its social media channels to urge supporters to gather outside the interior ministry to demand Pereira's release.
Security forces used tear gas to break up a small protest outside the building where Pereira is said to have been detained, a witness told the Reuters news agency.
In a joint statement on Wednesday, election observers from the African Union and West African regional bloc Ecowas, expressed "deep concern with the announcement of a coup d'etat by the armed forces".
They said officials in charge of the electoral process had been arrested and called for their immediate release.
Guinea-Bissau has been shaken by at least nine coups and attempted coups between 1974, when it gained independence from Portugal, and 2020, when Embalo took office.
One of the poorest countries in the world , with a population of more than 2 million people, Guinea-Bissau has become a hub for cocaine trafficking.
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(with newswires)
