Military crackdown targets hidden weapons in Bissau
Guinea-Bissau’s military leadership is carrying out a sweeping disarmament campaign across the capital, searching containers and residences for weapons and ammunition. The operation aims to disarm groups considered capable of threatening stability in Bissau. Authorities say they are recovering arms that circulate outside official structures in a country where the military has long played a central role in political crises and coups have repeatedly derailed democratic processes.
Weapons linked to Embaló’s allies
Some of the weapons sought in the operation are attributed to elements tied to former president Umaro Sissoco Embaló. That accusation is politically sensitive and will require solid evidence establishing the origin of the weapons and the identity of those holding them. The searches come as the junta seeks to reassert control over a security landscape it says is fragmented.
Embaló insists on running despite exile
Behind the security operations lies a major political deadline: the presidential election scheduled for 6 December 2026. After the coup that ousted him in November 2025, Embaló has been living in exile in Morocco. He has nevertheless announced his intention to return to Guinea-Bissau and run again for the highest office.
In late September, he declared he would be a candidate in the presidential race. His return was initially planned for 4 October, but the military hierarchy decided to block it. The junta says the necessary security conditions are not met and cites the protection of public order and social stability. Embaló maintains his desire to take part in the vote and demands that his candidacy be examined impartially and independently by judicial authorities.
A candidacy that unsettles the military transition
The confrontation between the former president and the new authorities is no longer limited to the question of his return. It could now play out directly on the electoral field. The junta has pledged to organise elections aimed at restoring civilian rule. The presidential and legislative votes are officially set for 6 December.
But Embaló’s case puts the military in a delicate position: how to organise an election meant to mark the end of the transition while preventing the former president overthrown by the coup from returning to campaign? For now, authorities have officially justified his return ban on security grounds. It would therefore be premature to speak of a candidacy legally rejected by the junta. However, his physical return to the country is indeed blocked by the military, which concretely undermines his ability to campaign on the ground.
Weapons as a political as well as security issue
In this context, the seizure operations take on an added dimension. By searching for weapons possibly linked to networks close to the former power, the junta says it wants to prevent any threat to public security. But these operations come at the precise moment when political rivalry around the presidential election is intensifying. The question will be whether the disarmament is solely a security measure or whether it will also affect the political balance of power before the vote.
The military authorities will notably have to demonstrate that the searches and seizures rest on transparent procedures and are not used to sideline certain political opponents.
A transition under close scrutiny
The junta already pushed through a new Constitution in August following a referendum strongly contested by part of the opposition and civil society. The new text notably strengthens presidential powers. In this climate, the 6 December presidential election is a crucial moment for the country’s institutional future. Embaló’s possible return, his candidacy and the conditions under which other contenders can campaign will be closely watched.
In Bissau, the military continues to search, seize and disarm. But behind the inspected containers and the weapons sought, a broader battle is emerging: control of the transition and the conditions under which Guinea-Bissau will—or will not—return to civilian rule. Two months before the vote, the standoff between the junta and Umaro Sissoco Embaló is only beginning.