Guinea-Bissau: three officers accused of coup attempt released
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on O Democrata
Colonel Victor Tchongo, former commander of the Guinea-Bissau National Guard, and two other officers were released on Tuesday by the Superior Military Tribunal. They had been detained since December 2023 over an attempted coup and were convicted in June 2025, according to a source from the Guinean League for Human Rights cited by O Democrata.
The Superior Military Tribunal of Guinea-Bissau ordered the release of three officers prosecuted for an attempted coup, Victor Tchongo, Ramalhano Mendes and Lamine Camará. The three men left their place of detention on Tuesday afternoon, 10 November 2026, according to a source from the Guinean League for Human Rights cited by the daily O Democrata.
Victor Tchongo, former commander-general of the National Guard, Ramalhano Mendes, former operations chief of the force, and Lamine Camará, his deputy, had been detained since 1 December 2023. In June 2025, the Regional Military Tribunal convicted them for their involvement in the events cited in the proceedings over an attempted coup.
The case dates back to the intervention by National Guard personnel who forcibly removed two former government officials from the Judicial Police premises near Bandim market in Bissau. They were Suleimane Seidi, former finance minister, and António Monteiro, former secretary of state for the Treasury, both involved in the case known as the six billion CFA francs affair. The operation led to a military intervention by forces under the presidency on the night of 30 November to 1 December 2023, which the authorities described as an attempted coup.
Four other people detained in connection with the same proceedings were also released. They are Braima Baldé and Malam Djassi, former members of the presidential security team, Braima Conté, a civilian, and Abulai Queita, a member of the Tax Action Brigade. These four people were associated with Tcherno Barri, nicknamed Tcherninho, former head of President Umaro Sissoco Embaló’s security.
A lawyer for Victor Tchongo confirmed that the defence had taken steps with the judicial authorities to secure the release of his clients. He nevertheless said he had not yet received official notification from the court at the time of his exchange with O Democrata.
