Coup Fears As Gunshots Erupt Near Guinea-Bissau Govt House

• …the former Portuguese colony has seen nine coups or attempted coups since 1980. 

EKO HOT BLOG reports that at least one person is said to have been killed in the capital of the West African state of Guinea-Bissau amid fears of a coup attempt.

Gunfire erupted near a government building in Bissau where President Umaro Cissoko Embaló was thought to be attending a cabinet meeting.

Soldiers have reportedly detained the president and his ministers.

Read also: Coup: Military Seize Power In Burkina Faso

West African regional leaders condemned what they called a coup attempt and urged troops to return to barracks.

One of the poorest countries in the world, the former Portuguese colony has seen nine coups or attempted coups since 1980.

If confirmed, this would be the fifth military coup in the past year in the region of West and Central Africa. Just last week, there was a coup in Burkina Faso.

Struggling with a massive foreign debt and an economy that relies heavily on foreign aid, the country has also become a transhipment point for Latin American drugs, leading it to be dubbed by some as Africa’s first narco-state.

While Embaló won the December 2019 presidential election, he faced a last-minute stand-off with parliament before taking office the following February.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE 

Burkina Faso: Coup Leader Addresses Nation In First Speech Since Takeover

A reporter on the ground, Alberto Dabo, told BBC News that unidentified heavily armed gunmen had attacked the government palace while President Embaló was meeting Prime Minister Nuno Gomes Nabiam inside.

He said that two people had been killed and, according to “reliable sources”, the president and all the members of the government were still inside the palace “in the hands of” the attackers.

Click to watch our video of the week