Guinea-Bissau Leader Urges Embalo Loyalists to Disarm

Speaking at a ceremony in Bissau on Wednesday, N’Tam said a commission had been established to recover weapons and military equipment issued to members of the presidential guard. He warned personnel still keeping arms outside authorised military structures to return them or face consequences.

The order follows reports of discontent within the presidential guard, which has been regarded as loyal to former president Umaro Sissoco Embalo. Several members of the unit were previously disarmed and placed under military supervision.

Guinea-Bissau’s army seized power on November 26, 2025, shortly after presidential elections and one day before provisional results were expected. The military removed Embalo from office and suspended the electoral process. The junta subsequently installed General Horta N’Tam as transitional president.

The junta has scheduled presidential and legislative elections for December 6, 2026, as part of plans to return the country to civilian rule.

Embalo, who has been living in exile in Morocco, said in late September that he intended to return to Guinea-Bissau and contest the presidential election. Military authorities later blocked his planned return, saying the necessary security conditions were not in place and citing national security and public order.

N’Tam said the presidential guard had been poorly organised under the previous administration but maintained that its members had not been dismissed from the armed forces. His administration has recently taken several steps that suggest a growing political distance from Embalo.

Questions also remain over whether the December elections will proceed as scheduled. Guinea-Bissau has experienced five coups and several attempted military takeovers since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974, leaving political stability and civilian rule as persistent national challenges.