Guinea-Bissau’s President Umaro Sissoco Embalo said on Saturday that this week’s deadly violence involving members of the National Guard was an attempted coup as the army ordered them back to barracks.

The unrest between members of the National Guard and Special Forces of the presidential guard on Thursday night in the capital Bissau left at least two people dead.

Embalo, who was in Dubai attending the COP28 conference, arrived in Bissau on Saturday and said an attempted coup d’etat had prevented him from returning.

 Embalo said the coup attempt was prepared before celebrations on November 16 commemorating the anniversary of the armed forces. Since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974, the small West African nation has seen a series of coups and coup attempts.