Umaro Sissoco Embaló

Umaro Mokhtar Sissoco Embaló (born 23 September 1972) is a Bissau-Guinean politician serving as the president of Guinea-Bissau since February 2020. A political scientist and military officer, he previously served as prime minister between November 2016 and January 2018.

Life

Born in Bissau to a Muslim Fulani family, Embaló holds a degree in international relations from the Higher Institute of Social and Political Sciences at the Technical University of Lisbon, as well as both a Master's degree in political science and a doctorate in international relations from the Complutense University of Madrid. He is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish, and competent in English, French, Arabic and Swahili.

Embaló served in the army, undertaking National Defence Studies at the National Defence Centre of Spain, and underwent further studies on National Security in Belgium, Israel, South Africa, Japan, and France. He rose to the rank of brigadier-general. Before his political career, Embaló academically specialised in African and Middle-Eastern affairs and in matters of defence, international co-operation and development. He is a former Minister of African Affairs.

Premiership

Embaló formed his cabinet on 13 December 2016 after having been appointed prime minister by President José Mário Vaz on 18 November 2016.

However, Embaló took the post while under the censure of his own party, the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), which through its Central Committee gave him a vote of distrust of one hundred and twelve votes in favour and eleven against on 26 November 2016.

As head of government, he could only count on the support of the Social Renovation Party, which had the second largest number of seats in the National People's Congress of Guinea-Bissau.

On 13 January 2018, after disagreements with President José Mário Vaz, he was replaced according to the demands of João Fadiá (minister of finance) and Botche Candé (minister of the interior), Embaló offered his resignation from the position, effective on 16 January 2018.

2019 presidential elections

Embaló ran for president in 2019, running as the candidate of Madem G15. He finished in second place, with 27% of the vote, in the first round of voting. According to the preliminary and final results published by the national commission of elections, he won the runoff vote against another former prime minister, Domingos Simões Pereira, 54% to 46%. However, the final results continue to be disputed by his opponent Domingos Simões Pereira. Although neither the supreme court of Guinea-Bissau nor the parliament had given its approval for the official swearing-in ceremony, Sissoco Embaló had organised an alternative swearing-in ceremony in a hotel in Bissau to announce himself as legal president of Guinea-Bissau. Several politicians in Guinea-Bissau, including Prime Minister Aristides Gomes, accused Sissoco Embaló of arranging a coup d'état, although outgoing president Mário Vaz stepped down to allow Embaló to assume power.

Presidency

Sissoco Embaló has stated that his governing style is that of "Embaloism", which he defines as "order, discipline, and development", asserting that "there is neither small state nor small president" and comparing himself to Lee Kuan Yew and Rodrigo Duterte. As part of an anti-corruption drive, he ordered the installation of CCTV surveillance cameras across the country and the arrest of Minister of Public Health  Antonio Deuna on embezzlement charges in 2021.

In 2020, his presidency saw the retreat of Economic Community of West African States troops stationed in the country after the 2012 coup and attempts to arrange official visits from foreign heads of government, including the first visit from the Portuguese government in three decades, and international organisations such as the International Monetary Fund. His first official visit as head of state was a multi-country tour of Senegal, Niger, and Nigeria in March 2020.

A coup d'état to oust Embaló was attempted on 1 February 2022. He said that "many" members of the security forces had been killed in a "failed attack against democracy."

In May 2022, Embaló dissolved Guinea-Bissau's parliament, citing "persistent and unresolvable differences" with parliament.

In July 2023, he attended the 2023 Russia–Africa Summit in Saint Petersburg and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On 4 December 2023, Embaló dissolved parliament, citing allegations of an attempted coup d'état. Speaker Domingos Simões Pereira accused Embaló of carrying out a constitutional coup.

On 3 March 2024, Embaló visited Jerusalem and expressed support for Israel in the Gaza war. He told Israeli President Isaac Herzog that "Guinea-Bissau and its people are at your side and ready to help you in any way possible."

On 11 September 2024, Embaló announced that he would not seek a second term in the upcoming presidential elections scheduled for November 2025. At the same time, disputes arose over when his term as president would end, as opposition groups said his term expires on 27 February 2025, while the Supreme Court ruled that it expires on 4 September 2025. On 3 March, Embaló announced that he would run again for president in the November election.

Under Embaló's presidency, Guinea-Bissau hosted and mediated negotiations between the Senegalese government and the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) that led to the announcement of a new peace agreement in Bissau on 25 February 2025 to end the Casamance conflict.

Honours

Foreign

* :
** 1st Class of the Amílcar Cabral Order (10 July 2021).
* :
** 1st Class of the Order of Grand Star of Djibouti (15 February 2024)
*
** Grand Collar of the Order of Timor-Leste (28 November 2023).
* :
** Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour (10 December 2024)
* :
** Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Renaissance (20 February 2023).
* :
** Grand Collar Order of the State of Palestine (6 March 2024).
* :
** Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry (24 October 2023).
* :
** Grand Cross of the National Order of the Lion (31 May 2022)

Gallery

File:Général Embalo main dans la main avec Guillaume Soro et Laurent Gbagbo.jpeg, alt=
File:Omar Mokhtar-Embalo.JPG, alt=
File:Omar Mokhtar--Embalo.JPG, alt=
File:Omar- Mokhtar-Embalo.JPG, alt=
File:Général Embalo chez l'ancien président du Ghana John Kufuor.jpeg, alt=
File:24 08 2021 Almoço em homenagem ao Presidente da República da Guiné-Bissau (51399166472).jpg, alt=
File:24 08 2021 Cerimônia Oficial de Chegada do Excelentíssimo Senhor General Umaro Sissoco Embaló, Presidente da República da Guiné-Bissau (51400694145).jpg, alt=

References

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Embalo, Umaro Sissoco
1972 births
Presidents of Guinea-Bissau
Bissau-Guinean military personnel
Bissau-Guinean Muslims
Fula people
Living people
Muslim supporters of Israel
Prime ministers of Guinea-Bissau
People from Bissau
African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde politicians
Technical University of Lisbon alumni
Complutense University of Madrid alumni
Recipients of Grand Collar of Palestine
Recipients of Supreme Order of the Renaissance (Jordan)