Just weeks after a gang of soldiers overthrew Mali's former president, Amadou Toure, military troops in Guinea-Bissau took to the streets of the capital on Thursday night. In what appears to be an on-going coup attempt, the unidentified soldiers attacked the homes of former Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Junior and interim President Raimundo Pereira.
The soldiers have seized control over parts of the capital, including the headquarters of the ruling African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) and the state radio service.
Witnesses say they heard a series of gunshots, ambulance sirens and grenades propelled in the air. The so-called "coup-prone" nation of Guinea-Bissau is currently in the middle of a bitterly disputed second-round presidential election scheduled for April 29.
The U.S. embassy in Guinea-Bissau released a statement declaring: "It is regrettable that elements of the Bissau-Guinean military have chosen to derail the democratic process in Guinea-Bissau."
Several hours after his home was hit with grenades, Gomes, the front-running presidential candidate, seemed to have went missing. A military source told news wire reporters: "We are actively seeking Carlos Gomes Junior. Regardless of where he is hiding, we will track him down before dawn."
The latest reports claim that soldiers have now arrested Gomes.
The whereabouts of interim President Pereira are still unknown.
Since its independence from Portugal in 1974, Guinea-Bissau exists in a perpetual state of instability with no president having ever completed a full term in office.
The last president, Malam Bacai Sanha, died in January after an enduring health battle.
SaharaReporters