Authorities have managed to stabilize the situation in the Republic of Guinea-Bissau following clashes between representatives of the local armed forces and the National Guard, which attempted to stage a coup, the West African country's President Umaro Sissoco Embalo said.
"Everything is going well in Bissau. The democratic gains are being respected and maintained," President Embalo said in a statement on X.
The president said that army units would be stationed at the headquarters of the national radio and television station for the duration of the change in leadership initiated by the authorities.
The president's statement followed his decision to dissolve parliament on Monday during a meeting of the Council of State. According to media reports, Domingos Simoes Pereira, president of the National People's Assembly and the incumbent president's main rival, declared the head of state's decision inadmissible, citing the constitution, which states that the parliament cannot be dissolved within the first 12 months after elections.
On the evening of November 30, soldiers of the Guinea-Bissau National Guard reportedly kidnapped the Minister of Economy and Finance, Suleiman Seidi, and the Secretary of State for Treasury, Antonio Monteiro, who had been arrested earlier on charges of corruption and embezzlement of $10 million from the national treasury.
Skirmishes between the National Guard and army units continued on November 30 and December 1. The confrontation ended when the commander of the rebel security forces, Colonel Victor Tchongo, surrendered to authorities.
The country's president later described the situation as a planned coup and announced the creation of a commission of inquiry. In June of this year, an opposition coalition led by the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) won parliamentary elections in Guinea-Bissau, gaining a majority in the unicameral parliament.