Bissau, Guinea-Bissau — October 31, 2025 | Dalena Reporters
In a dramatic escalation of political tensions ahead of the November 23 general elections, the armed forces of Guinea‑Bissau announced the arrest of several senior military officers accused of plotting to subvert the constitutional order. The announcement came via a public statement from the Armed Forces General Staff, flagging the arrests as a serious threat to the country’s already fragile stability.
Deputy Chief of Staff Mamadou Kourouma identified one of the detained officers as Dahaba Na Walna, described as the director of a major military training school, and two other commanders — Domingos Nhanke and Mario Midana — as being among those arrested. They were detained in their homes in the capital, Bissau, earlier this week, following intelligence that they were planning actions to destabilise the upcoming electoral process.
The armed forces’ official statement said:
“This sad episode, which involves some general and senior officers of our armed forces, jeopardises the peace and stability so desired for socio-economic development and the attraction of foreign investment.
It added that the arrests were made “for an attempt to subvert the constitutional order” and highlighted that the incident occurred as the election campaign period is due to begin.
Guinea-Bissau has a long history of political instability and coups since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974, making the timing of this announcement particularly sensitive. President Umaro Sissoco Embaló, whose term has been contested by the opposition, has faced two alleged coup attempts during his tenure.