Umaro Sissoco Embaló facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Umaro Sissoco Embaló
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Embaló in 2025
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| 6th President of Guinea-Bissau | |
| Assumed office 27 February 2020 |
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| 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 |
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| President | José Mário Vaz |
| Preceded by | Baciro Djá |
| Succeeded by | Artur Silva |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 23 September 1972 Bissau, Portuguese Guinea |
| Political party | Madem G15 |
| Spouse | Dinisia Reis Embaló |
| Alma mater | Technical University of Lisbon Complutense University |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Guinea-Bissau |
| Rank |  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.
Contents
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
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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:
1st Class of the Amílcar Cabral Order (10 July 2021).
Djibouti:
1st Class of the Order of Grand Star of Djibouti (15 February 2024)
East Timor
Grand Collar of the Order of Timor-Leste (28 November 2023).
France:
Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour (10 December 2024)
Jordan:
Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Renaissance (20 February 2023).
Palestine:
Grand Collar Order of the State of Palestine (6 March 2024).
Portugal:
Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry (24 October 2023).
Senegal:
Grand Cross of the National Order of the Lion (31 May 2022)
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Images for kids
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See also
In Spanish: Umaro Sissoco Embaló para niños
