The atmosphere across Guinea-Bissau was tense but calm on the morning of November 26. Three days after the presidential election, the West African nation of 2.5 million people was waiting for the official announcement of the winner by the National Electoral Commission, as most of the votes had already been counted. At that time, both domestic and international election observers agreed: incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embalo appeared to have been voted out of office, with non-partisan opposition candidate Fernando Dias seemingly poised to declare victory. But at 12:40 pm local time, the sounds of machine-gun fire and panicked screams rang out from the presidential palace — as well as from the building that houses the National Electoral Commission. Panic spread instantly, as the blare of gunfire continued for half an hour. At first, rumors circulated that soldiers had arrested Embalo amid allegations that he wasn't going to hand over victory to his opponent. But two hours later, a statement aired on state broadcaster TGB brought some clarity to both locals and the international community: Dinis N'Tchama, a spokesman for the Supreme Military Command, announced that soldiers had taken control of the country "to restore national security and public order." The military leadership claimed to have foiled a plot involving several senior politicians as well as drug traffickers, who according to media reports have been operating in the impoverished African nation with impunity for years. Furthermore, the freshly self-appointed junta announced that the electoral process had officially been suspended — and it confirmed reports of the arrest of outgoing President Embalo.