Description: Former President of Guinea Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, fled the country initially to neighboring Senegal and then to the Republic of the Congo, where his chief of staff confirmed his whereabouts. Embalo fled the country days after the military conducted a successful coup attempt, ousting the President due to his connections with drug barons in the country. General Horta N’Tam was appointed as the country’s interim leader, after the administration prohibited public gatherings, protests and elections. The coup was the ninth in the country since gaining its independence from Portugal in 1974 in a period where the Guinea Bissau is considered to be a narco – state by the international community and one of the major transiting points for illegal drug trafficking from South America to Europe. The West African bloc of nations, ECOWAS, blocked the country’s membership in the organization, stating that it didn’t support forceful transition of political power. Embalo’s opponent, Fernando Dias, blamed the former President for inciting a fictitious domestic crisis in order to remain in power in the long – term.
Impact: The military coup in Guinea Bissau arrived on the back of the general elections which according to the military were mired by corruption and ties between officials within the political echelon and the drug barons. Bissau is one of the poorest countries in the world engulfed in constant struggle for prevalence between the drug traffickers and individuals within the highest level of government. The current situation remains stable with the military’s imposition of the curfew, limiting movement in public places and prohibiting public gatherings. Considering the instrumental importance of the country to criminal organizations such as the South American cartels and the high level of corruption, crime and civic unrest remain as a possibility in the long – term, depending on the military’s grip of power and its governing capabilities.