Following a failed coup attempt on Tuesday, February 1, 2022, Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embaló announced that peace and normalcy had returned to the country. ayokinews.com reports
Shortly after stating on social media that the situation was under control, the president talked to the media.
“At the preview of the Council of Ministers, I could never have imagined that the President of the Republic, the Supreme Commander of the armed forces, the Prime Minister and all other members of the government (were) surprised by gunfire from heavy artillery, machine guns and AK-47s. The shooting lasted five hours in order to rescue the Supreme Commander”, said Umaro Sissoco Embaló, President of Guinea-Bissau.
The capital, Bissau, was tensed for several hours on Tuesday, following heavy gunfire at the government palace when the president and prime minister were inside.
Authorities have not released any information on the victims or who may have been responsible for the attempted coup d’etat.
Attempted Coup In Guinea-Bissau As Heavy Gunfire Heard Near Presidential Palace
“There are dead, but I don’t know, because the President was between fire and iron for five hours, and I couldn’t imagine how many, but there are dead, there are many dead, it’s true, on one side and on the other” said President Umaro Sissoco Embaló.
The former Portuguese colony is a two-million-strong coastal state located south of Senegal in West Africa.
Since its independence from Portugal in 1974, it has had four military coups, the most recent in 2012.
The country pledged to return to constitutional government in 2014, but there has been little stability since then, and the military forces wield significant power.
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