A group of military officers in Guinea-Bissau has announced that it has taken control of the country, amid reports that President Umaro Sissoco Embaló has been arrested.
Military personnel made the announcement by reading a statement at the army headquarters, according to reports.
This comes just three days after the country went into polls, whose results were expected to be released on Thursday.
Witnesses in the capital, Bissau, heard gunshots at around 13:00 GMT close to the presidential palace, prompting residents to flee in vehicles and on foot.
It remained unclear who was involved in the shootings or whether there were casualties.
Both Embaló and his closest rival, Fernando Dias, have claimed victory ahead of the official results, expected on Thursday.
The BBC reported that government sources confirmed that Embaló had been detained shortly after the outbreak of violence.
The main opposition party, PAIGC and its candidate, Domingos Simoes Pereira, were disqualified from the hotly contested election
Pereira and PAIGC were struck from the final list of candidates and parties published in October by the Supreme Court, which said they had filed their official applications too late.
Pereira and Embalo are political arch-rivals: the last presidential election in 2019 was marked by a four-month post-election crisis as both men claimed victory.
Incumbent Embaló has faced two previous attempts to unseat him, the most recent occurring in December 2023.
Since 1980, the country has experienced nine coups or attempted coups.
Embaló has been serving as the president of Guinea-Bissau since February 2020.
A political scientist and military officer, he previously served as prime minister between November 2016 and January 2018.
