The deposed President Umaro Sissoco Embaló of Guinea-Bissau has arrived in Senegal after being released by the military forces that overthrew his government this week, according to Senegal’s authorities.
Following negotiations by the regional West African bloc Ecowas, efforts were made to obtain his transfer amidst heightened tensions in Guinea-Bissau.
Senegal’s foreign ministry stated in a release that Embaló had arrived in the country “safe and sound” on a chartered military flight late on Thursday, November 27, 2025.
Guinea-Bissau’s military has already appointed a new interim leader, General Horta N’Tam, who will govern the coup-plagued nation for twelve months.
The coup occurred a day ahead of when authorities were scheduled to declare the provisional results of a presidential and parliamentary election.
The military has halted the electoral process and prevented the release of the results.
The statement claimed it was taking action to foil a plot by unidentified politicians who had “the backing of a prominent drug lord” to destabilise the country, and implemented a night-time curfew.
Sierra Leone’s Foreign Affairs Minister Timothy Musa Kabba declined to comment on Embaló’s physical health during a BBC Newsday programme on Friday, instead stating that priority was given to ensuring his safe evacuation from Guinea-Bissau.
Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio, the current Ecowas chair, reportedly contacted the Guinea-Bissau military on Wednesday to secure a guarantee for Embaló’s safety.
Located between Senegal and Guinea, the country has a history of coups and is a major centre for drug trafficking, with the military retaining significant influence since it achieved independence from Portugal in 1974.
Embaló and his nearest challenger, Fernando Dias, had both declared victory in the presidential election held on Sunday.
Dias was backed by former Prime Minister Domingos Pereira, who had been ineligible to run.
Government sources previously informed the BBC that Dias, Pereira, and Interior Minister Botché Candé had also been taken into custody.
The military junta has outlawed public demonstrations and “all disruptive activities which threaten peace and stability within the country”.
High tension persisted in the capital city of Bissau on Thursday, with most shops and markets shut down as soldiers maintained a visible presence on the streets, according to news agency AFP.
Gen N’Tam was appointed as Guinea-Bissau’s interim leader for a period of one year earlier that day, having been named chief of staff of the country’s army.
General N’Tam stated in a speech that the military had intervened “to prevent operations that were intended to undermine our democracy”.
Following the swearing-in, the military re-established land, air, and sea border crossings that had been closed after announcing the coup.
Certain civil society organisations in Guinea-Bissau have accused Embaló of orchestrating a “staged coup” against himself, with the military’s assistance, claiming it was a ploy to prevent election results from being announced if he were to lose.
Embaló’s main challenger, Dias, made similar allegations, describing it as an “organised coup”.
According to him, he views himself as the president-elect of Guinea-Bissau and thinks he secured about 52 per cent of the vote.
Embaló remains silent in the face of the accusations.
The 53-year-old leader stated that he has managed to survive numerous coup attempts throughout his tenure. Previous critics have accused him of fabricating crises as a pretext for suppressing dissent.
Leaders of Ecowas have put Guinea-Bissau’s participation on hold in all decision-making bodies until the country’s constitutional order is re-established. In a statement, the bloc instructed the military to retreat to their barracks, branding its actions a “grave breach of Guinea-Bissau’s constitutional order”.
The African Union has also condemned the coup and requested respect for the constitutional order.
The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed deep concern over the situation in Guinea-Bissau, urging an immediate and unconditional restoration of the country’s constitutional order.
Over the past five decades, Guinea-Bissau has experienced at least nine coups or attempted coups.
