President Umaro Sissoco Embalo of Guinea-Bissau has taken the step to dissolve the nation’s parliament, as revealed by a government spokesperson to reporters on Monday.
The decision comes in the aftermath of what President Embalo referred to as an attempted coup in the small West African nation last week.
The capital, Bissau, witnessed clashes between two factions within the army on Thursday night, persisting through Friday. The confrontation erupted after national guard soldiers released an opposition minister who had been under detention in connection to a corruption inquiry.
Guinea-Bissau has a history of coups and unrest since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974.
Notably, President Embalo had previously dissolved the country’s parliament in May 2022, citing reasons such as alleged corruption among deputies and other issues.
