Army officers say they have seized power in Guinea-Bissau

A group of army officers said they had seized power in coup-prone Guinea-Bissau on Wednesday, on the eve of the expected announcement of results from a hotly contested presidential election.

In a statement read on state television, the army officers said they had deposed President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, suspended the electoral process, shut borders and would enforce a curfew.

Shortly after, Embalo told France 24 TV: “I have been deposed.”

They said they had formed “The High Military Command for the Restoration of Order” and would be in charge of the West African nation until further notice.

The officers did not specify if they had taken Embalo into custody, and his whereabouts were unknown.

It was the latest outbreak of unrest in Guinea-Bissau, a small coastal nation situated between Senegal and Guinea that is a notorious hub for cocaine bound for Europe.