The African Union has condemned Guinea-Bissau troops who arrested the country's presidential front-runner Carlos Gomes Junior in an apparent coup, describing the action as "outrageous."
Mr Gomes, the outgoing prime minister tipped to win the 29 April run-off vote, was whisked away in a pick-up truck after troops assaulted his residence late last night.
Soldiers armed with rocket-propelled grenades and Kalashnikov rifles also took control of the ruling party headquarters and the state radio station, and rounded up politicians.
The pan-African body called on the troops to "honour their commitment to serve under the authority of the constitutionally established institutions of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau."
AU commission chief Jean Ping voiced "strong condemnation by the AU of these outrageous acts which undermine the efforts to stabilise the situation in Guinea-Bissau and tarnish the image of the country and Africa."
"The AU will not accept any unconstitutional seizure of power and attempt at undermining the democratic process in Guinea-Bissau," Mr Ping said in a statement.
The army says it had no desire for power.
"The military command has no ambition for power. It was forced to act this way to defend itself against the diplomatic manoeuvres of the Guinea-Bissau government aimed at eliminating the army with a foreign military force," the army said in a statement, referring to an Angolan military mission currently in the country.
