1980 coup d'état staged a
coup in 1980 and would survive a string of failed counter coups in
1982,
1983,
1984,
1985, and
1993 before a coup in
1998 plunged the country into a
civil war that ended when his own supporters ousted him in a final coup in
1999. Following independence in 1974,
Luís Cabral, the half brother of PAIGC leader
Amílcar Cabral who was assassinated just months prior to independence, became the first President of Guinea-Bissau. A Cape Verdean and a
mestiço, Cabral's rule would be resented by black nationalist elements of the FARP who viewed Cabral as the embodiment of mestiço economic and political dominance over black Guineans who retained leadership of FARP.
João Bernardo Vieira, a black FARP officer who had been named Prime Minister in 1978, staged a bloodless coup against Cabral and seize control over Guinea-Bissau with FARP elements loyal to him. Vieira's new government would quickly be recognized by other West African nations, as a nine-member military Council of the Revolution approved a new constitution restoring governance back to PAIGC in 1984. A
single-party "election" where only the PAIGC members could stand was held
shortly after to establish a new civilian government. As a result of the coup Cape Verde cut ties and any prospective talk of unification with Guinea-Bissau on January 20, 1981. This network heavily favored the
Balanta by virtue of them being the single largest ethnic group in the country. Ialá publicly announced his resignation on 17 September,
2010 military unrest Major General
Batista Tagme Na Waie was chief of staff of the
Guinea-Bissau armed forces until his assassination in 2009. Military unrest occurred in Guinea-Bissau on 1 April 2010. Prime Minister
Carlos Gomes Júnior was placed under house arrest by soldiers, who also detained Army Chief of Staff
Zamora Induta. Supporters of Gomes and his party,
PAIGC, reacted to the move by demonstrating in the capital,
Bissau;
Antonio Indjai, the Deputy Chief of Staff, then warned that he would have Gomes killed if the protests continued. The EU ended its mission to reform the country's security forces, EU SSR Guinea-Bissau, on 4 August 2010, a risk that may further embolden powerful generals and drug traffickers in the army and elsewhere. The EU mission's spokesman in Guinea-Bissau said the EU had to suspend its programme when the mastermind of the mutiny, General
Antonio Indjai, became army chief of staff. "The EU mission thinks this is a breach in the constitutional order. We can't work with him".
2011 coup attempt The 2011 Guinea-Bissau coup attempt was a failed
coup d'état by a group of renegade soldiers. Taking place on the morning of December 26, 2011, fighting broke out between two factions in the armed forces with sounds of automatic weapons and rocket fire erupting in the Santa Luzia army base which alarmed residents in the country's capital of
Bissau. Officials claim it started when
Navy Chief Jose Americo Bubo Na Tchuto sent orders to arrest
Army Chief Antonio Injai, who was later freed by his men.
International drug trade The multitude of small offshore islands and a military able to sidestep government with impunity has made it a favourite trans-shipment point for drugs to Europe. Aircraft drop payloads on or near the islands, and speedboats pick up bales to go direct to Europe or onshore. UN chief
Ban Ki-moon has called for sanctions against those involved in Guinea-Bissau's drugs trade. Air Force head Ibraima Papa Camara and former navy chief
Jose Americo Bubo Na Tchuto have been named "drug kingpins".
Angolan assistance Angola, at the presidency of the
Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) since 2010, has since 2011 participated in a military mission in Guinea-Bissau (MISSANG) to assist in the reform of defence and security. MISSANG had a strength of 249 Angolan men (both soldiers and police officers), following an agreement signed between the defence ministers of both countries, as a complement to a Governmental accord ratified by both parliaments. The Angolan assistance mission included a programme of technical and military cooperation focused on a reform of the Guinean armed forces and police, including the repair of barracks and police stations, organisation of administrative services and technical and military training locally and in Angolan institutions. The mission was halted by the Angolan Government, following a politico-military crisis that led to the ousting of the interim president of Guinea-Bissau, Raimundo Pereira, and the prime minister, Gomes Júnior. By 22 June 2012, the Angolan vessel ''Rio M'bridge'', carrying the mission's equipment, had arrived back in Luanda.
2023 coup attempt On 30 November 2023, clashes broke out in
Bissau, the capital of
Guinea-Bissau, between government forces and units of the National Guard who had released two ministers accused of corruption from detention. The clashes led to the arrest of National Guard commander Colonel
Victor Tchongo. President
Umaro Sissoco Embaló described the events as an attempted coup. Following the clashes, Embaló ordered the dissolution of the country's
legislature.
American assistance On November 24, 2024 it was announced that the
United States Army was sending the
478th Civil Affairs Battalion to Guinea-Bissau as part of a
SETAF-AF mission to aid their Guinean counterparts with medical readiness exercises, humanitarian activities, and join training sessions for a nine-month rotation.
2025 coup d'état On 26 November 2025, the president of
Guinea-Bissau,
Umaro Sissoco Embaló, was arrested as part of a
coup d'état carried out by Head of the Military Office of the Presidency Brigadier General
Dinis Incanha. Military officers declared "total control" over the country and established the
High Military Command for the Restoration of National Security and Public Order. The coup occurred a day before the results of the
2025 Guinea-Bissau general election held on 23 November, in which Embaló was running for re-election, were expected to be officially announced. == Equipment ==