Guinea-Bissau coup leader Horta Inta-A assumes 'transitional presidency'

Officers, calling themselves ‘High Military Command for the Restoration of National Security and Public Order,’ seized power in the West African country. General Horta Inta-A has taken over the role of “transitional president” in Guinea-Bissau on Thursday following a military coup, according to the country's state broadcaster TGB. In a statement broadcast on state television on Wednesday, a group of military officers identifying themselves as the "High Military Command for the Restoration of National Security and Public Order" announced that they "assumed full powers of the state." The military suspended all media activities, halted the ongoing electoral process, closed all borders, and imposed a nine-hour curfew starting at 9 pm local time (2100 GMT). The heads of the electoral observer missions urged the African Union and ECOWAS to take the necessary steps to restore constitutional order in the West African country. The coup was staged as independent candidate Fernando Dias and incumbent President Embalo’s camps both claimed victory on Monday in the presidential election, as the country awaited the results.