Embalo dissolved Guinea-Bissau's parliament days after what he said was a foiled coup on December 1, accusing the government of passivity in response to the clashes. He then reappointed Martins as prime minister on December. 12.

The decree did not provide a reason for sacking Martins, who is a member of the former ruling PAIGC party which now leads the main opposition coalition. Sources close to the matter said the prime minister and the president were at odds.

The West African nation has often been in political turmoil and seen several coups since it gained independence from Portugal in 1974.

Police fired tear gas last week to disperse opposition members of parliament who had tried to convene in defiance of Embalo's decision to dissolve the house. A date for new legislative elections has not yet been set.

The formal ending of the West African nation's parliament came after Embalo said last week that there was an attempt to overthrow the government.

Clashes between two army factions broke out in Bissau on Thursday night and continued on Friday after national guard soldiers freed an opposition minister who had been detained in a corruption investigation.

Coups and unrest have been commonplace in Guinea-Bissau since it gained independence from Portugal in 1974.

Embalo also dissolved Guinea-Bissau's parliament in May 2022 after he accused some authorities of corruption and other issues.

The unrest between members of the National Guard and special forces of the presidential guard on Thursday night in the capital, Bissau, left at least two people dead.

Embalo, who was in Dubai attending the COP28 climate conference, arrived in Bissau on Saturday and said an "attempted coup d'etat" had prevented him from returning.

"I must tell you this act will have serious consequences," he added.

Since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974, the small West African nation has seen a series of coups and coup attempts.

Embalo, who was elected to a five-year term in December 2019, survived a failed overthrow in February 2022.

A military official, speaking anonymously because of the sensitive nature of the situation, said six soldiers were injured in the fighting and evacuated to neighboring Senegal.

Calm had returned by noon on Friday to the small nation, following the announcement that the army had captured Colonel Victor Tchongo, commander of the National Guard.

On Saturday, the security presence in Bissau was reduced, but soldiers were still visible around certain strategic buildings such as the presidential palace, the judicial police headquarters and some ministries.

Some National Guard officers and soldiers fled into the interior of the country, the army said in a statement Saturday, without specifying numbers.

"The General Staff of the armed forces hereby informs them that they must return to their place of assignment," the statement continued.

Regional bloc the Economic Community of West African States said it "strongly condemns the violence and all attempts to disrupt the constitutional order and rule of law in Guinea-Bissau."

"ECOWAS further calls for the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators of the incident in accordance with the law," the Abuja-based organization added in its statement on Saturday.

The regional bloc also expressed "its full solidarity with the people and constitutional authorities of Guinea-Bissau."

A spokesman for United Nations chief Antonio Guterres, Stephane Dujarric, called for calm Friday and urged the security forces and the army "to continue refraining from interference in national politics."

Members of the National Guard on Thursday evening stormed a police station to extract Finance Minister Souleiman Seidi and Treasury Secretary Antonio Monteiro, according to army and intelligence officers.

The two government members were being questioned about the withdrawal of $10 million from state accounts. They had been detained under orders of state prosecutors, who are named by the president.

Embalo said someone sent Tchongo to remove Seidi from detention and announced that an investigatory commission would be formed on Monday.

The National Guard is under the control of the interior ministry, which, like most ministries in the country, is dominated by the PAIGC party whose coalition won the June 2023 elections.

The two government members were detained again after the army removed them from National Guard control.

"We have always opted for the application of the law. A president who is elected must complete his term of office," government spokesman Francisco Muniro Conte said Saturday. "We cannot obstruct people who are facing justice, if the law is really respected."

The Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, "strongly condemns the violence and all attempts to disrupt the constitutional order and rule of law in Guinea-Bissau," read a statement released by the regional bloc.

"ECOWAS further calls for the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators of the incident in accordance with the law," the statement added.

The statement by ECOWAS was in reaction to clashes in Guinea-Bissau that broke out in the capital, Bissau, on Thursday between members of the national guard and special forces of the presidential guard. Two people died as a result.

Calm returned to the small nation with a history of instability by mid-morning Friday following the announcement that the army had captured Colonel Victor Tchongo, commander of the national guard.

Members of the national guard Thursday evening stormed a police station to extract Finance Minister Souleiman Seidi and Secretary of the Treasury Antonio Monteiro, according to army and intelligence officers.

The two government members were being questioned about the withdrawal of $10 million from state accounts. They had been detained under orders of state prosecutors, who are named by the president.

The national guard, on the other hand, is under the control of the Interior Ministry, which like most ministries in the country, is dominated by the PAIGC party, whose coalition won the June 2023 elections.

The two government members were detained again after the army removed them from National Guard control.

President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, who was elected to a five-year term in December 2019, is in Dubai to attend the COP28 climate conference.

Since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has witnessed a series of coups and failed attempts. The most recent was a failed attempt in February 2022.

Fighting had continued into Friday morning after soldiers from the national guard stormed a police station where Finance Minister Suleimane Seidi and the secretary of state for the treasury, Antonio Monteiro, were detained after their arrest on Thursday night.

Seidi is a member of the former ruling PAIGC party, which leads the coalition that won a majority in legislative elections in June.

That result halted President Umaro Sissoco Embalo's plans to push through a constitutional change that would have allowed him to consolidate power by removing the country's semi-presidential system. The PAIGC is opposed to this.

The national guard reports to parliament, while the military reports to the president.

The move to free the men took place on Thursday night under the auspices of the head of the national guard, Victor Tchongo, the army said in a statement.

Gunshots were heard throughout the night in various parts of Bissau and residents woke up to military road blocks. Most of that deployment was cleared by midday and street life went back to normal.

"Republican forces have restored constitutional order," the army said, calling on businesses to open and citizens to resume their daily activities.

Embalo is away in Dubai attending the COP28 climate summit. His communications team said the presidency had "nothing to do with it."

Tchongo, who was arrested earlier on Friday, has been freed, while Seidi and Monteiro are back in custody, a police source said.

They are under arrest over 6 billion CFA francs ($9.95 million) allegedly disbursed from public coffers without permission.

Neither have made any public comments in the chaotic hours after they were arrested, freed and then detained again. During that time, the home of the leader of PAIGC also came under fire from unidentified attackers, according to police sources.

Guinea Bissau, a West African nation of around 2 million inhabitants that sits between Senegal and Guinea, has seen frequent turmoil since it gained independence from Portugal in 1974.

There have been at least 10 coups or attempted coups, and only one democratically elected president has completed a full term in almost four decades.

At least six people were killed during a failed attempt to overthrow Embalo in February 2022.

The events in Bissau follow a spate of coups in a region that had been making strides toward shedding its reputation for military-led takeovers. Overall there have been eight coups in West and Central Africa in the last three years.

Sierra Leone's government foiled an attempt to overthrow it over the weekend. More than 20 people were killed as gunmen in the capital Freetown attacked military barracks, a prison and other locations on Sunday, freeing about 2,200 inmates.