Military officers in Guinea-Bissau declared they had seized "total control" of the government on Wednesday, suspending the electoral process and closing borders just three days after the impoverished West African nation held contested legislative and presidential elections.
The dramatic takeover unfolded as gunfire erupted near the presidential palace in the capital, Bissau, with soldiers in uniform blocking the main thoroughfare to the compound. Military personnel delivered their announcement from army headquarters, according to journalists from Agence France-Presse who witnessed the scene.
