Courtesy|BBC

An army general has assumed leadership of Guinea-Bissau after being sworn in as the country’s new head of state, one day after what appeared to be a coup, according to a BBC report.

Gen Horta N’Tam has taken on the role of transitional president for a one-year period. His oath was administered on Thursday during a brief and subdued ceremony held at army headquarters.

This development comes after the military halted the electoral process and stopped officials from releasing the results of Sunday’s presidential election, which had been due on Thursday.

Several civil society organisations have accused outgoing President Umaro Sissoco Embaló of orchestrating a “simulated coup” with the military’s help, claiming the move was designed to block the publication of election results in the event that he lost.

“The purpose of this manoeuvre is to prevent the release of the electoral results scheduled for tomorrow, November 27,” the Popular Front, a civil society coalition, said in a statement on Wednesday.

President Embaló has not addressed the allegations. He has said in the past that he has survived multiple coup attempts, though critics have accused him of inventing crises as a pretext to suppress dissent.

Guinea-Bissau, situated between Senegal and Guinea, has long been known as a major hub for drug trafficking, and the military has held significant influence since the country gained independence from Portugal in 1974. Over the past fifty years, the nation has experienced at least nine coups or attempted coups.

The most recent incident, on Wednesday, involved a group of military officers declaring that they had taken control of the country, amid reports that President Embaló had been arrested. Gunfire was heard in the capital, Bissau, though it was unclear who was involved or whether anyone was injured.

The officers later appeared on state television, announcing the suspension of the electoral process. They said their actions were intended to stop a plot involving unnamed politicians who allegedly had the backing of a “well-known drug baron” to destabilise the country. They also announced that borders were closed and a night-time curfew had been imposed.