Guinea-Bissau's Never-Ending Power Struggles

Guinea-Bissau has seen many power grabs over the years. The latest one happened in November 2025. Army officers said they took control from President Umaro Sissoco Embalo. This was just before election results were to be announced. The country has a long history of instability. The first big power grab happened in 1980. Prime Minister Joao Bernardo Vieira took control from President Luis Cabral. This was just the start of many more power struggles. In 1999, General Ansumane Mane forced Vieira to step down. This happened after a year-long civil war. Mane then became the leader. But his time in power was short. He was killed in clashes with the next president, Kumba Yala. Yala was removed from power in 2003. General Verissimo Correia Seabra took control. But Seabra was killed in an army revolt just a year later. Henrique Rosa then took over as interim leader. In 2009, Vieira was assassinated. This happened after he survived many coup attempts. Raimundo Pereira took over as interim leader. Malam Bacai Sanha was elected president but died before finishing his term. In 2012, soldiers took control during a presidential election. They detained the interim president and other candidates. In 2022, gunmen attacked the presidential palace. President Embalo survived, but the country remained unstable. Embalo claimed to have survived three coup attempts. In 2023, he dissolved parliament. Critics said he used the instability to gain more control. The latest coup in 2025 shows that Guinea-Bissau's power struggles are far from over.