In brief
A military coup has unfolded in Guinea-Bissau, with soldiers announcing the detention of President Umaro Sissoco Embaló. Following gunfire in the capital, Bissau, the military claims to have thwarted a plot by politicians linked to international drug trafficking, closing borders and imposing a curfew. The coup comes as election results were awaited, with both Embaló and his opponent claiming victory.
A group of military officers say they have seized control of Guinea-Bissau amid reports that the president, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, has been arrested.
Shortly after gunshots were heard in the capital, Bissau, government sources told the BBC that Embaló had been detained.
The officers then appeared on state TV, saying they had suspended the electoral process, as the West African nation awaited the outcome of Sunday's presidential election.
They said they were acting to thwart a plot by unnamed politicians who had the support of a well-known drug baron to destabilise the country and announced the closure of its borders and imposed a night-time curfew.
Sandwiched between Senegal and Guinea, the coup-prone country is known as a notorious drug-trafficking hub where the military has been influential since independence from Portugal in 1974.
The election results were expected on Thursday - both Embaló and his closest rival Fernando Dias had claimed victory.
Late on Wednesday afternoon, Embaló told France 24 in a phone call: I have been deposed. Government sources have since reported that Dias, along with other political leaders, have also been detained.
Witnesses reported hearing gunfire earlier, leading to chaos in the streets, with people fleeing for safety. The military declared a takeover and instructed the population to remain calm.
Portugal has called for a return to constitutional order, urging restraint from all parties involved as tensions rise in this historically tumultuous nation.
