Guinea-Bissau’s army showed off automatic rifles, rocket launchers and ammunition on Wednesday, saying the arsenal had been seized after what the government described as an attempted coup last week. Armed forces head General Biague Na Ntam, who has remained loyal to the president, presented dozens of weapons as well as communications equipment to the press in the capital Bissau. Violence erupted in the city between members of the national guard and special forces of the presidential guard on the night of November 30, leaving two people dead. President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, who had been in Dubai attending the COP28 climate conference, arrived back in Bissau over the weekend and announced that an “attempted coup” had taken place. He dissolved parliament on Monday, saying the West African nation had been plunged into crisis and that fresh elections would be held. Embalo announced that the prime minister would remain in office, but that he was taking over the interior and defence ministry portfolios. According to Ntam, the weapons put on display Wednesday were mainly taken from members of the national guard during clashes with the army and mopping up operation that followed. Embalo’s long-time rival and parliamentary speaker Domingos Simoes Pereira reiterated his opposition to the dissolution of parliament. “Despite the attempted coup, there can be no question of dissolving the Assembly,” Pereira told a meeting of the coalition led by his party, the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC). “For us, there is no such thing as dissolution”, he added. Pereira said that security forces had been deployed at the National Assembly, blocking members from entering. A new government is expected to be formed by next week, Embalo said in a televised interview Wednesday evening. “Next week, we will have a new government (that) will propose to me a date for early legislative elections,” Embalo told France24, while blaming the opposition for being behind the unrest. The army chief said Wednesday that the National Guard was now under military control. Since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974, the country of two million people has seen a series of coups and coup attempts. Elected to a five-year term in December 2019, Embalo survived a bid to overthrow him in February 2022.