Guinea-Bissau 'coup': President fingers drug lords, death toll hit 6, tensions remain

Fears of a coup attempt in Guinea-Bissau

Gunshots heard around presidential palace

ECOWAS condemns attempted coup

Umaro Sissoco Mukhtar Embaló, President of Guinea-Bissau on February 1, 2022, declared an attempted coup over after viral reports of an attack on the presidential palace where he was holding a meeting at a time.

He tweeted about his safety and

Read full articlethe fact that the situation was under control without giving any further details.

"I'm fine Alhamdulillah. The situation is under government control. I thank the people of Guinea Bissau and all the people beyond our country who are concerned for my government and me. Long live the Republic and may God watch over Guinea-Bissau," a translation of his Portuguese tweet read.

After a tense Tuesday night, more details of the foiled coup has began to emerge with reports indicating that tensions remain across the country.

The following are new details available to GhanaWeb as at today:

1 – President Embalo said the coup plotters are linked to drug trafficking in the country known as foremost narco-state of the west coast.
Appearing on a Facebook LIVE Tuesday evening he stated that the attack "was well prepared and organised and could also be related to people involved in drug trafficking."
2 – The attackers he said had tried to kill him and his entire cabinet
"It wasn't just a coup. It was an attempt to kill the president, the prime minister and all the cabinet," he said.
3 – Reuters reported that some six people were killed in the entire episode.

4 – The president said the army’s structure was intact and that the attackers were a renegade group that set out to undertake a hatchet job.

"I can assure you that no camp joined this attempted coup. It was isolated. It is linked to people we have fought against," he added.

5 – President vows to continue fight against narcotics and corruption in the country.

“When I was elected President of the Republic, I promised to fight two things, corruption and drug trafficking. And this is also linked to that, and I knew what the rice was but the fight continues,” he stressed.

Brief about the failed coup

Multiple reports indicated that a possible coup was underway on Tuesday, February 1, 2022 with heavy gunshots heard around the presidency.

The regional bloc, ECOWAS and the African Union issued a statement condemning the coup attempt and asked the military to return to the barracks to undertake their constitutional duties.

On his verified Facebook page, the president also posted a collage showing him with military officers at the presidency. He captioned the photo: "Calm returns to Bissau."

The West African country, which has a population of about 2 million, has witnessed 10 coups or attempted coups since independence from Portugal in 1974. Only one democratically elected president has completed a full term.