Guinea-Bissau’s military authorities have stopped former President Umaro Sissoco Embalo from returning to the country, citing security concerns and the need to maintain public order.

The decision was announced as Embalo was preparing to return from exile on Sunday and seek to participate in a presidential election scheduled for December.

Embalo was removed from office in a military coup in November 2025, shortly before the results of presidential and parliamentary elections were expected to be announced. The military suspended the electoral process and installed Major-General Horta Inta-a as transitional president.

A government statement said the current security situation was not sufficient to guarantee Embalo’s safe return to the country.

The former president has remained outside Guinea-Bissau since the coup. His planned return had been linked to his reported intention to contest the December presidential election.

However, a new constitutional framework approved in an August referendum could create an additional hurdle for his candidacy. The revised constitution requires presidential candidates to have lived continuously in Guinea-Bissau for the five years preceding an election.

It remains unclear how the residency requirement would affect Embalo’s eligibility, given his absence from the country since the military takeover.

Guinea-Bissau has experienced repeated military interventions in politics and remains a major transit point for cocaine trafficking from Latin America to Europe.

The latest development adds to uncertainty surrounding the country’s transition back to civilian rule and the planned December election.