Bissau (Guinea-Bissau), Feb 1 (AP) Heavy gunfire erupted Tuesday near the Government Palace in Guinea-Bissau's capital, witnesses said, raising fears of a coup attempt in this West African country with a long history of military takeovers.

President Umaro Cissoko Embalo, a former army general, was believed to be inside the building at the time of the attack. He was declared the winner of the 2020 election, though the results were contested by Domingos Simoes Pereira.

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Embalo then started forming a new government with support from the military while a Supreme Court election challenge was still pending.

Since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has experienced four coup d'etats and more than a dozen attempted coups. (AP)

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(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)