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Umaro Sissoco Embaló
Umaro Sissoco Embalo 2025 July.png
Embaló in 2025
6th President of Guinea-Bissau
Assumed office
27 February 2020
Prime Minister Nuno Gomes Nabiam
Geraldo Martins
Rui Duarte de Barros
Preceded by José Mário Vaz
18th Prime Minister of Guinea-Bissau
In office
18 November 2016 – 16 January 2018
President José Mário Vaz
Preceded by Baciro Djá
Succeeded by Artur Silva
Personal details
Born (1972-09-23) 23 September 1972 (age 52)
Bissau, Portuguese Guinea
Political party Madem G15
Spouse Dinisia Reis Embaló [fr]
Alma mater Technical University of Lisbon
Complutense University
Military service
Allegiance  Guinea-Bissau
Rank 15. Guinea-Bissau GEN.svg General

Umaro Mokhtar Sissoco Embaló (born 23 September 1972) is a politician from Guinea-Bissau. He has been the president of Guinea-Bissau since February 2020. Before becoming president, he served as the country's prime minister from November 2016 to January 2018. He is also a political scientist and a military officer.

About Umaro Sissoco Embaló

Umaro Sissoco Embaló was born in Bissau, the capital of Guinea-Bissau. He grew up in a Muslim family. He studied international relations at the Technical University of Lisbon in Portugal. He also earned a master's degree in political science and a doctorate in international relations from Complutense University in Spain.

He can speak several languages, including Portuguese, Spanish, English, French, Arabic, and Swahili.

Military Career and Early Life

Before his political career, Embaló served in the army. He studied national defense in Spain and also took courses on national security in various countries like Belgium, Israel, South Africa, Japan, and France. He rose to the rank of brigadier-general.

Embaló also focused his studies on topics related to Africa and the Middle East. He was interested in defense, international cooperation, and development. He even served as a Minister of African Affairs.

Time as Prime Minister

Umaro Sissoco Embaló became Prime Minister on 18 November 2016, after being chosen by President José Mário Vaz. He then formed his government on 13 December 2016.

However, his own political party, the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), did not fully support him. They voted that they did not trust him. As Prime Minister, he mainly had the support of the Social Renovation Party.

He resigned from his position on 13 January 2018, and his resignation became official on 16 January 2018. This happened after he had disagreements with President José Mário Vaz.

2019 Presidential Election

Embaló decided to run for president in the 2019 election. He was the candidate for the Madem G15 party. In the first round of voting, he came in second place with 27% of the votes.

He then went on to a second round against another former prime minister, Domingos Simões Pereira. Embaló won the runoff with 54% of the votes, according to the election results. However, his opponent did not agree with these results.

Even though the country's supreme court and parliament had not officially approved his win, Umaro Sissoco Embaló held his own swearing-in ceremony at a hotel in Bissau. He announced himself as the legal president. Some politicians, including the Prime Minister at the time, accused him of trying to take power illegally. However, the outgoing president, Mário Vaz, stepped down, allowing Embaló to become president.

Presidency

01.01.2023 - Cumprimentos dos chefes de Estado e de Governo - 52621909421
Embaló with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, 1 January 2023
Umaro Sissoco Embaló visit to Israel, March 2024 (MYN 3039)
Embaló with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem, Israel, 3 March 2024
Vladimir Putin and Umaro Sissoco Embaló (2024 Victory Day)
Embaló with Russian President Vladimir Putin before the Moscow Victory Day Parade in Moscow, Russia, 9 May 2024

As president, Umaro Sissoco Embaló describes his way of leading as "Embaloism." He says this means "order, discipline, and development." He believes that "there is neither small state nor small president." He has compared his leadership style to that of leaders like Lee Kuan Yew.

Key Actions and Events

As part of his efforts to fight corruption, he ordered CCTV cameras to be installed across the country. In 2021, he also ordered the arrest of the Minister of Public Health on charges of misusing money.

In 2020, troops from the Economic Community of West African States left Guinea-Bissau. These troops had been in the country since a coup attempt in 2012. Embaló also worked to arrange official visits from leaders of other countries and international groups like the International Monetary Fund. His first official trip as president was to Senegal, Niger, and Nigeria in March 2020.

On 1 February 2022, there was an attempted coup to remove Embaló from power. He stated that many security forces members were killed in this "failed attack against democracy."

In May 2022, Embaló dissolved Guinea-Bissau's parliament. He said this was because of "persistent and unresolvable differences" with the parliament.

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

On 4 December 2023, Embaló again dissolved parliament. He stated this was due to claims of an attempted coup. The Speaker of Parliament, Domingos Simões Pereira, accused Embaló of carrying out a "constitutional coup."

On 3 March 2024, Embaló visited Jerusalem and showed his support for Israel during the Gaza war. He told Israeli President Isaac Herzog that Guinea-Bissau was ready to help.

In September 2024, Embaló announced he would not seek a second term in the presidential elections in November 2025. However, there were disagreements about when his term would end. Opposition groups said it would end on 27 February 2025, while the Supreme Court ruled it would end on 4 September 2025. On 3 March 2025, Embaló announced that he would run for president again in the November election.

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

Honours

Foreign Awards

  •  Cape Verde:
    • Amílcar Cabral Order - 1st Class (Cabo Verde).png 1st Class of the Amílcar Cabral Order (10 July 2021).
  •  Djibouti:
    • Order of the Grand Star of Djibouti - ribbon bar.gif 1st Class of the Order of Grand Star of Djibouti (15 February 2024)
  •  East Timor
    • Order of Timor-Leste.png Grand Collar of the Order of Timor-Leste (28 November 2023).
  •  France:
  •  Jordan:
    • JOR Order of the Renaissance GC.SVG Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Renaissance (20 February 2023).
  •  Palestine:
    • Grand Collar of the Order of the State of Palestine ribbon.svg Grand Collar Order of the State of Palestine (6 March 2024).
  •  Portugal:
  •  Senegal:
    • SEN Order of the Lion - Grand Cross BAR.svg Grand Cross of the National Order of the Lion (31 May 2022)

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Umaro Sissoco Embaló para niños

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