There is tension in Guinea Bissau amid fears of a military coup.
There were reports of heavy gun fire around the Presidential palace in the capital, Bissau.
Video footages shared on social media show armed men engaging in heavy firing, as well as a few dead bodies.
Media reports also say the whereabouts of President Umaro Sissoco Embaló is unknown.
President Embalo has been in office since February 2020, after his election earlier in January marked an end to years of instability in the former Portuguese colony.
The West African bloc ECOWAS, the African Union and the United Nations have issued statements condemning an “attempted coup” by the military.
ECOWAS, which is dealing with a resurgence of military takeovers in the subregion, said it holds the military responsible for the safety of the president, urging them to “return to their barracks”.
“ECOWAS is following with great concern the evolution of the situation in Guinea-Bissau … where military gunfire is taking place around the Government Palace,” the group said in a statement late Tuesday afternoon.
Reports indicate that President Embalo was chairing a cabinet meeting when the gunfire erupted. Prime Minister Nuno Gomes Nabiam was also said to be in attendance.
The incident comes less than a week after the President effected a cabinet reshuffle which reportedly sparked a row between him and the Prime Minister.
