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Guinea-Bissau arrests officers for alleged coup attempt
On Friday, deputy chief of staff Mamadou Kourouma said senior army officers were arrested Thursday in their homes in Bissau on accusations of attempting a coup.
Controversy over Embalo's term and the Nov. 30 date has intensified as Umaro Sissoco Embalo said his first term runs until then, while the opposition refuses to recognize him.
Brig. Gen. Daba Na Walna is accused of leading the plot with support from generals, while Commanders Domingos Nhanke and Mario Midana were arrested and several officers went missing starting Monday.
The armed forces General Staff warned the episode jeopardizes peace and stability, while Reuters could not reach the arrested officers and officials did not disclose the alleged coup plotters' fate or numbers.
In a country that has endured coups for over 50 years, the arrests came on the eve of the November 23 campaign, heightening instability.
On the eve of the opening of the campaign for the presidential and legislative elections on 23 November, the Guinea-Bissau army announced this Friday, 31 October, that it had foiled an attempt to "subvert the constitutional order" in that country, which was regularly plagued by political instability.
The General State-Maor General of the Guinean Armed Forces declared this Saturday an attempt to attack the State which involves "a number of officials", including General Daba Na Walna.