AU Calls for Unconditional Release of G.Bissau President

The African Union (AU) called for the "immediate and unconditional" release of Guinea-Bissau's president, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, following a military takeover. 

Military officers declared "total control" of the country on Wednesday after seizing power, arresting the president and halting the announcement of election results that Embalo was expected to win.

General Horta N'Tam, the army's chief of staff, announced that he was sworn in to lead the country on Thursday. This marks Guinea-Bissau's fourth coup since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974. 

In a statement posted on X, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, the chair of the AU, called for "the immediate and unconditional release of President Embalo and all detained officials," urging all parties involved to exercise restraint. 

According to a military source, Embalo was arrested on Wednesday and is currently being held at the general staff headquarters, where he is reportedly being treated well. A senior military officer also stated that the chief of staff and the minister of the interior had been detained.

Furthermore, opposition leader Domingos Simoes Pereira, who was barred from participating in last weekend's presidential election by the Supreme Court, was arrested on Wednesday.

The AU "unequivocally condemns" the coup, the statement added, and emphasized "the imperative of respecting the ongoing electoral process." Guinea-Bissau is among the world's poorest countries and has a long history of political instability.