On Thursday, November 27, 2025 , General Horta N'Tam was officially sworn in as "President of the Transition" of Guinea-Bissau, following a military coup the previous day. He also assumed leadership of the "High Military Command," the body now tasked with governing the country for a period of one year.

The swearing-in ceremony took place at the headquarters in Bissau, under heavy guard: dozens of heavily armed soldiers were deployed around the building. During the event, the general declared: "I have just been invested to assume the leadership of the High Command.

This regime change comes in an extremely volatile context—the ouster of outgoing President Umaro Sissoco Embaló was announced approximately 24 hours before Horta N'Tam's inauguration. The military group that seized power declared it had "taken total control of the country" and suspended the electoral process, just days after presidential and legislative elections.

According to the new leadership, the one-year transition is motivated by the need to "restore national security" and combat threats, cited as risks of destabilization by drug trafficking networks. Following this, the military announced the immediate reopening of borders, which had been closed since the beginning of the crisis.

The announcement of the coup and the military takeover immediately sparked outrage. On Thursday, ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) condemned the overthrow of the civilian authorities, describing the event as a "serious violation of the constitutional order" and a "direct threat to the stability of the country and the region."

In Bissau, the atmosphere remains tense: the streets are under military surveillance, civilian institutions are neutralized, and the media are subject to significant restrictions. Uncertainty hangs over the country's democratic future, as Bissau-Guineans question the true duration of this transition, the guarantees of a return to civilian rule, and the prospects for elections.

For now, no clear roadmap has been made public — the country is entering a period of great instability.