Guinea-Bissau descended into turmoil on Wednesday after President Umaro Sissoco Embaló declared he had been “deposed,” following hours of gunfire in the capital, Bissau. General Denis N’Canha later announced a full military takeover, unveiling a “High Military Command for the Restoration of Order” and sealing the country’s borders.

Residents fled in panic as shots rang out, while Embaló, his military staff, and several ministers were reportedly arrested. The small West African nation  long branded a “narco-state” and no stranger to coups  now faces yet another period of political uncertainty.