Guinea-Bissau’s President Umaro Sissoco Embaló has been arrested by armed men, government sources have told the BBC, after gunfire was heard near the presidential palace.

Witnesses in the capital, Bissau, heard gunshots at around 13:00 GMT, but it was not immediately clear who was involved in the shooting.

The reports come three days after a presidential election in which the main opposition candidate was disqualified.

The results were expected on Thursday, November 27, 2025 – both Embaló and his closest rival, Fernando Dias, have claimed victory.

Hundreds of people on foot and in vehicles fled, seeking shelter as the shots rang out, the AFP news agency reported.

Guinea-Bissau, with a population of just under two million people, is one of the poorest countries in the world. The former Portuguese colony has seen nine coups or attempted coups since 1980.

There have been two attempts to overthrow Embalo, the latest in December 2023.