Soldiers patrol the area around the presidential palace in the capital Bissau. Fewer people than usual move on the main road leading to the site, where gunfire broke out on Wednesday - after which military commanders announced on state television that they were taking over the country's rule.
On Thursday, the military's chief of staff, General Horta N'Tam, was sworn in as the new leader during what is described as a one-year transition period.
The takeover is a necessity to "stop operations that have threatened our democracy," he claimed during a press conference.
The coup comes just days after Sunday's presidential election. Both President Umaro Sissoco Embaló and opposition leader Fernando Dias had declared victory and the situation was tense ahead of the first official results expected on Thursday.
The president is now said to be under arrest, which he also confirmed in a brief phone conversation with France 24 .
The African Union (AU) condemned the coup in a statement and called for the immediate release of Embaló and other arrested government representatives.
The opposition, however, presents a different picture of the situation.
Umaro lost the election and instead of accepting the results, he fabricated a coup d'état, says Fernando Dias on Thursday, urging his compatriots to resist.
As recently as October, the army said it had stopped a number of officers' attempted rebellion in the notoriously unstable country.
