Guinea-Bissau releases former military judge Daba Naualna

Brigadier-General Daba Naualna, the former president of Guinea-Bissau’s Superior Military Court, has been released from detention after nearly a year in prison. His release follows a July decision by the Supreme Court of Justice which declared his preventive detention null and void.

Naualna was arrested in late 2025 following an alleged coup attempt against then-President Umaro Sissoco Embaló. His lawyer, Augusto Nansambé, confirmed that the general is now home with his family. The release also includes three other individuals: military officers Domingos Nhanque and Mário Midana Sigá, and civilian Alexandre Patrão Indi.

The delay in executing the court order, which lasted over three months, was reportedly linked to political tensions between current transitional authorities and the former president. The lawyer alleged that the original arrests were intended to target the leadership of the PAIGC party by attempting to implicate its leader, Domingos Simões Pereira, in the alleged subversion.