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| Heavy gunfire was heard on Friday morning (file photo) | AFP |
Heavy gunfire was reported in Guinea-Bissau's capital after National Guard soldiers attempted to free a detained minister and a senior state official. The National Guard took the officials before seeking refuge in barracks south of the capital. Special forces intervened after attempts to negotiate failed, resulting in an exchange of gunfire. The leader of the group of soldiers who were trying to free the two men is now being held by the army, and the "situation is completely under control". Finance Minister Souleiman Seidi and António Monteiro, the secretary of state for the treasury, were detained amid investigations into the alleged irregular withdrawal of $10m (£8m) of state funds. They were questioned by an anti-corruption inquiry to clarify payments to 11 companies. Mr. Seidi defended the payments as legal.
National Guard soldiers later invaded the police cells near Bandim market with AK-47 weapons and bazookas and extricated the detained officials. President Umaro Sissoco Embalo is currently out of the country, attending the UN's COP28 climate conference in Dubai. Regional stabilization forces deployed by the regional West African bloc Ecowas were seen patrolling the streets on Friday morning. Guinea-Bissau has suffered a series of coups and attempted coups since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974.
