"This action aimed to disrupt the electoral process," General Mamadu Ture, deputy chief of staff, told a press conference without specifying the number of officers arrested or what actions they planned to take.

Campaigning kicks off Saturday in Guinea-Bissau, approximately three weeks ahead of the legislative and presidential elections likely to be dominated by incumbent Umaro Sissoco Embalo after the main opposition was disqualified.

Embalo told reporters after a cabinet meeting Thursday that "no disorder will be tolerated", adding that the "government has taken all necessary measures to ensure the safety of each candidate during this campaign".

Brigadier General Daba Nawalna, director of a military training centre about 30 kilometres (18 miles) from the capital Bissau, is accused of being one of the masterminds of the plot and was among those arrested, Ture said.

Guinea-Bissau has laboured under a succession of coups since independence from Portugal in 1974 but since its 2014 presidential election, the Portuguese-speaking country has set itself on the path towards the rule of law.