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Military Announces ‘Total Control’ in Guinea-Bissau

Military officers said they had formed ‘the high military command for the restoration of order’ and would rule until further notice. (AFP) 
Military officers said they had formed ‘the high military command for the restoration of order’ and would rule until further notice. (AFP) 
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Military Announces ‘Total Control’ in Guinea-Bissau

Military officers said they had formed ‘the high military command for the restoration of order’ and would rule until further notice. (AFP) 
Military officers said they had formed ‘the high military command for the restoration of order’ and would rule until further notice. (AFP) 

Military officials in Guinea-Bissau said they seized “total control” of the West African nation on Wednesday, arresting the president, closing borders and suspending the electoral process held last Sunday.

“Representing the senior leaderships of the different branches of Armed Forces, the High Military Command for the Restoration of the National Security and the Public Order has assumed full powers of Guinea Bissau,” General Diniz N'Tchama, head of the presidential military office, said in a statement read on state television.

“The High Military Command is responding to an ongoing plan to destabilize our country. For the implementation of this plan, an operation structure was created involving certain national politicians,” N'Tchama announced.

President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, who had been favored to win re-election in last Sunday's polls, was arrested and being held at general-staff headquarters where he was being “well-treated,” a military source told AFP.

A senior officer who also confirmed the arrest added that Embalo had been detained along “with the chief of staff and the minister of the interior.”

The coup happened after heavy gunfire rang out near the presidential palace earlier in the day, with men in military uniform taking over the main road leading to the building.

The military officers read the announcement at the Military Command headquarters in the capital, Bissau, AFP correspondents said.

Shortly before the officers' announcement, gunfire rang out near the electoral commission headquarters, presidential palace and interior ministry, witnesses said. It lasted for about an hour but appeared to have stopped by 1400 GMT, a Reuters journalist said.

“People are running everywhere,” said a driver in Bissau who asked not to be named, describing scenes of panic. There was no word yet of any casualties.

The electoral commission had been due on Thursday to announce provisional results from Sunday's election in which Embalo faced off against Fernando Dias, Embalo's top challenger in the election.

Both sides had claimed victory in the first round of voting.

Embalo was seeking to become the first president in three decades to win a second consecutive term in Guinea-Bissau.

A spokesperson for Embalo, Antonio Yaya Seidy, told Reuters that unidentified gunmen attacked the election commission to prevent an announcement of the vote results.

He said the men were affiliated with Dias, without providing evidence.

Former Prime Minister Domingos Simoes Pereira, who lost to Embalo in a contested runoff in 2019 and has backed Dias in this election, told Reuters that Dias had nothing to do with the incident.

Dias was meeting election observers when “some people erupted in the room to announce that there were gunshots in the center of the town,” said Pereira, who was in the same meeting and spoke to Reuters before security sources said he had been detained.

Former colonial power Portugal called for government institutions to resume normal operations and for vote counting and the proclamation of results to go ahead.

It said all those involved in the unrest should “refrain from any act of institutional or civic violence.”

Guinea-Bissau had been shaken by at least nine coups and attempted coups between 1974, when it gained independence from Portugal, and 2020, when Embalo took office.

The most recent reported coup attempt came in late October, when authorities announced that a group of senior officers had been arrested on suspicion of trying to topple the government.

 

 

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Anti-Migrant Protests in Ceuta Escalate into Clashes with Police

Smoke and flames rise as Ceuta residents destroy a migrant camp by the beach in the Spanish North African enclave on August 27, 2026. (Reuters)
Smoke and flames rise as Ceuta residents destroy a migrant camp by the beach in the Spanish North African enclave on August 27, 2026. (Reuters)
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Anti-Migrant Protests in Ceuta Escalate into Clashes with Police

Smoke and flames rise as Ceuta residents destroy a migrant camp by the beach in the Spanish North African enclave on August 27, 2026. (Reuters)
Smoke and flames rise as Ceuta residents destroy a migrant camp by the beach in the Spanish North African enclave on August 27, 2026. (Reuters)

Protests over security in Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta escalated into clashes between locals and police Thursday, a month after a mass influx of migrants from Morocco.

Police charged protesters at a beach after a group of demonstrators moved into the area where migrants have been sleeping, with some belongings set on fire during the disturbances, images broadcast on Spanish public television showed.

Earlier on Thursday, dozens of protesters staged a sit-in to temporarily prevent Red Cross vehicles from reaching the beach to distribute food to hundreds of migrants staying in the area.

Demonstrators, many waving Spanish flags, chanted “They should leave” and “Out with the Red Cross”, before they were dispersed by police.

The incidents come after police late on Wednesday fired tear gas to prevent confrontations between protesters and migrants camping on the beach.

More than 70,000 migrants entered Ceuta in late July, swimming or crossing on foot from neighboring Morocco in a chaotic influx that left scores dead and fueled fresh tensions within the European Union over migration.

Although the vast majority returned to Morocco within hours, thousands remain in the territory, many living rough on the streets.

Residents of Ceuta, which is just 18 square kilometers in size, have held regular demonstrations over what they say are security and hygiene problems linked to the influx.

But tensions have risen after a military vehicle carrying four soldiers was “ambushed” in the early hours of Thursday by about 70 migrants, who attacked it with stones and other objects, a police spokesman in Ceuta told AFP.

The soldiers fled and called for police assistance. Police detained 12 migrants, all Moroccan, the spokesman said.

One soldier suffered minor injuries after being struck by a stone. The motive for the attack was not immediately clear.

“The tension in the city of Ceuta is very high” because there is “no response” from the government and “we feel abandoned,” Kissy Chandiramani, the autonomous city's finance councilor, told news radio SER Thursday.

But she appealed for calm, saying people had the right to protest but warning that growing hostility would not resolve the crisis.

Also, Justice Minister Felix Bolanos appealed for calm, telling lawmakers in Madrid that authorities were working “without rest” to restore normality to the territory.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has faced mounting criticism from Ceuta's authorities and residents, who say Madrid reacted too slowly to the mass arrival.

The government has in recent days moved to expand shelter for migrants and speed up efforts to determine who can be returned to Morocco.

The head of Ceuta's local government, Juan Vivas, said peaceful protests “to demand the return to normality” were justified, but warned that authorities would take action against anyone who commits acts of vandalism.

“We totally reject the use of any kind of violence,” he said in an institutional address.

“No one can or should take the law into their own hands. The defense of Ceuta and the interests of its people can only be pursued through legality,” Vivas added.

 

 

World

Trump Says Russia ‘Is Not Going to Attack NATO Territory’

US Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting in Alaska on Aug. 15, 2025 (Reuters) 
US Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting in Alaska on Aug. 15, 2025 (Reuters) 
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Trump Says Russia ‘Is Not Going to Attack NATO Territory’

US Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting in Alaska on Aug. 15, 2025 (Reuters) 
US Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting in Alaska on Aug. 15, 2025 (Reuters) 

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said Russia is “not going to attack” NATO territory, pushing back against media reports that Washington is concerned about a possible Russian move on Europe.

“I've had good talks with him. He's not going to be attacking a NATO territory,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked if Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed not to do so.

Trump's comments came two days after CIA Director John Ratcliffe flew to Moscow for surprise talks that the Wall Street Journal and CBS News had said was an attempt to dissuade Russia from attacking NATO members, amid US intelligence assessments that Moscow could seek to test the alliance.

Last Wednesday, Trump said that Ratcliffe's unannounced trip to Russia was “semi-routine,” downplaying the visit amid speculation that the spy chief had an urgent reason to make an appearance in Russia's capital.

In the interview with Glenn Beck, Trump instead talked about trying to end the Ukraine war, a goal he has pursued without success since returning to office last year.

A senior EU official told AFP on Thursday that European intelligence agencies see no sign Russia is planning a military attack on European NATO countries, after US reports that the head of the CIA warned Moscow not to strike the alliance.

“European services in general do not see any risk of an attack from Russia to the European countries, and this assessment has not changed,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, Russia bombarded cities across Ukraine with missiles and drones in an overnight onslaught that ran into the daylight of hours Thursday, when explosions echoed around Kyiv through the morning.

Ukraine is desperately short of US-made Patriot air defense missiles that can counter Russia’s ballistic missiles, and Moscow’s fast-flying jet-powered drones have brought another challenge since the Russian military’s full-scale invasion began 4½ years ago.

On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine has struck a Russian Tu-95MS missile-carrying aircraft at the Engels base.

“These are the aircraft that are carrying out strikes against Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said on X, adding the strike was carried out by the Alpha unit of Ukraine’s SBU domestic security service.

Ukrainian officials say Russia builds up missile stocks and launches major attacks every few days, hoping to exhaust Ukrainian defenses through the sheer weight of numbers.

In response, Ukraine has hit high-profile targets on Russian soil as the countries inflict mutual destruction.

The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces carried out a “massive” strike on targets in nine Ukrainian cities that began after nightfall on Wednesday.

It described the targets as military-related, including industrial facilities, oil refineries, logistics hubs and port infrastructure.

“Russia continues to invest in missiles and in expanding its war, and that means more countermeasures are needed,” Zelenskyy said on social media, noting promises earlier this week by European countries to provide more air defense assistance.

“It is important that these (measures) are also supplemented by additional ballistic missile defense packages” through European purchases of weapons from the United States, he said.

Though the Russian Defense Ministry insisted only war-related targets were attacked, Russia appears determined to hurt Ukrainian businesses and dent the country's economy through attacks on private enterprise after Ukraine’s long-range drone strikes caused financial difficulties for Moscow.

Russian drones hit three major distribution centers, destroying depots belonging to a toy store chain and a confectionery company, and damaging another run by an electronics retailer, the companies said.

In addition, Moscow continued its efforts to wreck the Ukrainian power grid before the freezing winter months.

Also, people in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson were urged to leave due to intensifying Russian attacks that risked cutting electricity and heating supplies for an extended period.

“I am once again addressing the residents of Kherson, especially families with children and elderly people: if you have the possibility.., please leave,” regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin wrote on Telegram.

“The enemy is intensifying its attacks every day on the region’s critical infrastructure,” he added.

“Last night, Russian forces again attacked Kherson’s district heating plant with glide bombs... the facility sustained very serious damage. Kherson may find itself without electricity or heating not for hours or days but for a long period,” he said.

Prokudin also wrote that, “Currently, there is no way to destroy these types of drones or the aerial bombs in any region of our country.”

Meanwhile, Ukraine's budget deficit in 2027 could be larger than forecast, requiring additional aid from the European Union as a result, Bloomberg wrote, citing sources.

Talks between Kiev and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have faced headwinds due to “politically sensitive demands” from the country’s second-largest lender, sources said.

In July, the IMF projected that Ukraine’s deficit would total 17.8% of GDP in 2027 - 3.3 percentage points lower than in 2025. However, this forecast presumes that the Ukraine conflict will end in 2026, the agency noted. “As the war drags on, the figure is expected to be revised upward,” Bloomberg said, citing one of its sources.

 

 

 

World

Leaders of Russia, China, Iran to Attend Summit in Kyrgyzstan

Putin and Xi have previously used SCO summits to promote their vision of a multipolar world. Vladimir SMIRNOV / POOL/AFP
Putin and Xi have previously used SCO summits to promote their vision of a multipolar world. Vladimir SMIRNOV / POOL/AFP
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Leaders of Russia, China, Iran to Attend Summit in Kyrgyzstan

Putin and Xi have previously used SCO summits to promote their vision of a multipolar world. Vladimir SMIRNOV / POOL/AFP
Putin and Xi have previously used SCO summits to promote their vision of a multipolar world. Vladimir SMIRNOV / POOL/AFP

Russia's Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping are expected in Central Asia's Kyrgyzstan Monday for a two-day summit, also attended by Iran's and India's leaders, of a regional bloc seeking to be a counter-influence to the West.

Around a dozen heads of states will head to the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek to mark 25 years of the Shanghai Cooperation Group (SCO), said AFP.

The group brings together Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Iran, four Central Asian countries and Moscow-allied Belarus.

Putin and Xi have previously used SCO summits to promote their vision of a multipolar world and present a united front against the West.

It takes place four-and-a-half years into Moscow's Ukraine invasion and six months into the war between Washington and Tehran. Iran will be represented by its president, Masoud Pezeshkian.

Putin, Xi, Pezeshkian as well as India's Narendra Modi and Pakistan's Shehbaz Sharif are due to take part in a plenary session chaired by Kyrgyz leader Sadyr Japarov.

Putin is also expected to hold separate bilateral talks with Iran's Pezeshkian and China's Xi, among other leaders, Kremlin spokesman Yuri Ushakov said.

Russia and Iran -- among the most sanctioned states in the world -- have massively deepened their military and economic ties during the Ukraine war.

US President Donald Trump has warned Moscow and Beijing against arming Iran.

Putin's meeting with Pezeshkian comes days after the CIA's director John Ratcliffe made a rare trip to Moscow, with US media speculating he could have discussed Ukraine and Iran with his Russian counterparts.

The SCO has historically focused on economic issues. It gained momentum in recent years under Moscow's and Beijing's leadership.

The SCO's founding declaration says the group is "not an alliance directed against other states".

But Putin and Xi have repeatedly made anti-Western speeches during its summits.

At last year's gathering, Putin accused Western countries of provoking the Ukraine war, while Xi denounced "acts of intimidation", referring to US-Chinese tensions.

- Real and trade wars -

The Bishkek summit takes place as some SCO members are in the midst of real wars -- the Ukraine and Iran conflicts -- or trade wars, with the imposition of US tariffs on Chinese and Indian goods.

This month, the US slapped secondary sanctions on Iran's trading partners in the sectors of gold, technology, digital assets, aviation, and maritime transport, aiming to cripple the Iranian regime.

Washington also threatened Iran's allies with sanctions.

China, a major importer of Iranian oil, responded by saying it will "firmly defend" its interests.

Iran, living under sanctions since its 1979 revolution, has regularly said it will not cave to economic pressure.

But Pezeshkian has acknowledged his country faces "economic difficulties".

Iran only joined the bloc in 2023.

Mohammad Hassan Najmi, an international relations expert, told AFP that Tehran "believes its membership and active participation in these alliances can enable it to circumvent US and European sanctions".

But concrete benefits of the group are uncertain, he said, as "in times of crisis, these alliances have rarely allowed Iran to resolve its difficulties".

While the bloc claims to represent some 40 percent of the world's population and 25 percent of global GDP, it remains diverse, with some disagreements among members.

Russia and China compete for influence in Central Asia -- a resource-rich region crucial for the transport of goods between Europe and Asia -- while Beijing at times has had strained relations with India and Pakistan.