President Jose Mario Vaz late Wednesday accused the government of corruption, nepotism and obstruction of justice. He dismissed Prime Minister Domingos Pereira and his cabinet with immediate effect, saying a reshuffle is not enough to resolve the crisis.
It wasn't clear when the cabinet would be replaced and there was no immediate reaction from the ruling party. Before the dismissal, the UN Security Council on Wednesday called for peace and dialogue.
Guinea-Bissau has had so many coups and countercoups that no elected leader has been able to complete his term in the four decades since the country won independence from Portugal in 1974. But President Vaz took power in a peaceful election in 2014.