The failed coup attempt in Guinea-Bissau could affect other countries, including Equatorial Guinea

Last Tuesday, February 1, a group of assailants, armed with machine guns and AK-47s, attacked the government palace of Guinea-Bissau for several hours, taking advantage of the fact that the president and the prime minister, Nuno Gomes, were inside.

The president of this West African state, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, has described the event as a "failed attack on democracy." In a speech at the presidential palace, the leader declared that the situation was under control and that many members of the security forces had been killed.

It is not clear who is behind the coup, although the president said it was related to decisions made by him "especially to fight drug trafficking and corruption."

The African leader also reported the situation through social networks. On his official Twitter account, he wrote: "I'm fine, thank God. The situation is under government control. I thank the people of Guinea-Bissau and all the people beyond our country who have cared for my Government and me," Embaló indicated in his official account of the social network Twitter.

He also took advantage of Facebook to indicate that calm "has returned" to Guinea-Bissau.

The attempted coup in Guinea Bissau is the result of a new liberation movement, which is gradually affecting many countries in Africa. The advance of jihadism in the Sahel due to the inability of the national armies and the failure of foreign military interventions, especially by France, is at the origin of two of the military riots, those in Mali and Burkina Faso.

The African Union has expressed its concern about this phenomenon that gangrenes these two countries but also Somalia, Uganda, Mozambique, Niger, or the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The advance of the activity of these armed groups, especially linked to terrorist groups, such as Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, towards the north of the Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin, or Ghana is a reality that worries African leaders and that requires new approaches.

Another country prone to a coup is Equatorial Guinea which could be caused by the high levels of corruption that have affected the population of Equatorial Guinea for years. The country is led by Teodoro Obiang Nguema for more than 40 years, which is a historical record.

This fact, together with the fact that the president is at an advanced age, reaching his 80th birthday this year, day by day causes the stagnation of the economy of this country, which has enormous potential, but due to an atmosphere of dictatorship does not manage to progress.

In addition, it is necessary to take into consideration that the military forces of Equatorial Guinea are not in the proper state to face a possible coup. All this, together with the revolutionary atmosphere that is felt today in the African continent, allows us to consider that sooner or later a coup d'état will take place, which will allow the liberation of the society of this beautiful country.