Guinea-Bissau - October 2025

Authorities in Guinea-Bissau announced the arrest of several senior military officers, including Brigadier General Dahaba Na Walna and two commanders, over an alleged coup attempt aimed at disrupting the 23 November general elections. The arrests were made on 31 October, a day before the official campaign launch, in what Deputy Chief of Staff General Mamadu Turé described as a plot to subvert constitutional order. President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, who faces a second-term bid amid controversy over his mandate and the exclusion of the main opposition PAIGC (Partido Africano para a Independência da Guiné e Cabo Verde), said ‘everything is under control.’ According to country experts, the coup plot underscores political tensions, military fractures and concerns over electoral legitimacy, especially following Embaló’s expulsion of an Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) mission earlier this year. This is the third known coup attempt against Embaló, following similar events in 2022 and 2023—both of which led him to dissolve parliament.

Sources: International IDEA, Jornal O Democrata Guiné-Bissau, Institute for Security Studies – Africa, Reuters, Al Jazeera, Jeune Afrique