The heavy gunshots and clashes reported in the capital Bissau from late Thursday to Friday morning have been confirmed as an attempted coup by President Umaro Sissoco Embalo.

President Emballo on Saturday told journalists upon his return from Dubai where he had gone to attend COP28 that the December 1 incident was yet another failed coup attempt.

He however said those responsible will suffer serious consequences.

Recall clashes erupted between two army units in Guinea Bissau’s capital after National Guard soldiers freed an opposition minister who was detained in a corruption case and the alleged withdrawal of ten million dollars from the government purse.

In a statement on Friday, Bissau’s chief of army said that order had been restored in the politically unstable and coup-prone country.

In February 2022, President Umaro Sissoco Embalo narrowly escaped a coup plot that left at least six dead.