An army general has been sworn in as Guinea-Bissau's new head of state a day after an apparent coup.
Gen Horta N'Tam becomes the transitional president for a period of one year. He took the oath on Thursday, in brief and muted proceedings in the army headquarters.
The military had already suspended the electoral process and blocked the release of the results of Sunday's presidential election which were expected on Thursday.
Some civil society groups in Guinea-Bissau have accused outgoing President Umaro Sissoco Embaló of masterminding a simulated coup against himself with the help of the military, claiming it was a ruse to delay the election results in case he lost.
This manoeuvre aims to prevent the publication of the electoral results scheduled for tomorrow, November 27, the civil society coalition Popular Front said in a statement on Wednesday.
The president has not responded to the allegations and has asserted he has survived multiple coup attempts during his time in office. Critics maintain that he has previously fabricated crises to suppress dissent.
Geographically positioned between Senegal and Guinea, Guinea-Bissau has a tumultuous political history, marked by at least nine coups or attempted coups since its independence from Portugal in 1974.
The latest coup occurred amidst reports of President Embaló's arrest. Gunfire was reported in the capital, Bissau, as military officers announced their seizure of control and cited a conspiracy involving unnamed politicians and drug traffickers as a reason for their intervention.
Former Prime Minister Domingos Pereira, disqualified from running, and other political figures were reportedly detained as part of the coup, raising deep concerns from election observation bodies.
The country, long recognized as a hub for drug trafficking, continues to grapple with the implications of its fraught political landscape as it faces economic challenges and instability.
