The military in Guinea-Bissau has announced the installation of a new transitional leader following a power seizure that has plunged the West African nation into further uncertainty.
State broadcaster TGB reported on Thursday that General Horta Inta-A has been appointed transitional president for a one-year period. The announcement comes amid lingering questions about the balance of power, days after the country’s presidential election.
Eyewitnesses told a news agency that the streets of Bissau were deserted, with heavily armed soldiers stationed at strategic points across the capital.
On Wednesday, a group of military officers declared that they had taken control of the government. They claimed to have uncovered a plot to manipulate the election results and destabilize the nation — a scheme they alleged involved politicians and an unnamed drug baron.
Guinea-Bissau is widely regarded as a major trafficking corridor for cocaine smuggled from Latin America to Europe.
Deposed President Umaro Sissoco Embaló reportedly told a French media outlet that he was detained by the military but had not been harmed. The military is also said to have held his challenger, Fernando Dias.
Both Embaló and Dias had declared themselves winners of Sunday’s election, though official results have yet to be released.
The coastal nation, with a population of around 2.2 million, has experienced numerous coups and attempted coups since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974.
