Umaro Sissoco Embaló facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Sissoco and the second or paternal family name is Embaló.

Quick facts for kids Umaro Sissoco Embaló
Embaló in 2025

6th President of Guinea-Bissau
In office 27 February 2020 – 26 November 2025
Prime Minister	Nuno Gomes Nabiam Geraldo Martins Rui Duarte de Barros Braima Camará
Preceded by	José Mário Vaz
Succeeded by	Denis N'Canha as Head of the High Military Command for the Restoration of Order
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 53) 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	General

Umaro Mokhtar Sissoco Embaló (born on September 23, 1972) is a politician from Guinea-Bissau. He was the president of Guinea-Bissau from February 2020 until November 26, 2025. On this date, he was removed from power by a military group. Before becoming president, he worked as the prime minister of Guinea-Bissau from November 2016 to January 2018. He is also a political scientist and a former military officer.

Early Life and Education
Serving as Prime Minister
Becoming President: The 2019 Election
His Time as President
The 2025 Election and Change in Leadership
Awards and Recognition
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Education

Umaro Sissoco Embaló was born in Bissau, which was then called Portuguese Guinea. He grew up in a Muslim Fulani family. He studied international relations at the Higher Institute of Social and Political Sciences at the Technical University of Lisbon. He also earned a Master's degree in political science and a doctorate in international relations from the Complutense University of Madrid.

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

Embaló served in the army and studied national defense in Spain. He also continued his studies on national security in many other countries. These included Belgium, Israel, South Africa, Japan, and France. He reached the high rank of brigadier-general in the military. Before his political career, he focused his studies on African and Middle Eastern topics. He also studied defense and international cooperation.

Serving as Prime Minister

Umaro Sissoco Embaló became the prime minister on November 18, 2016. He was appointed by President José Mário Vaz. He then formed his government cabinet on December 13, 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 to lead.

As the head of the government, he mainly had the support of the Social Renovation Party. This party had the second-largest number of seats in the country's parliament.

After some disagreements with President José Mário Vaz, Embaló decided to resign. His resignation from the prime minister position became official on January 16, 2018.

Becoming President: The 2019 Election

Embaló decided to run for president in the 2019 Guinea-Bissau presidential election in 2019. 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 of voting against another former prime minister, Domingos Simões Pereira. According to the election results, Embaló won with 54% of the votes. However, his opponent questioned these results.

Even though the country's highest court and parliament had not officially approved his inauguration, Embaló held his own ceremony. He announced himself as the legal president of Guinea-Bissau at a hotel. Some politicians, including the prime minister at the time, questioned this action. However, the outgoing president, Mário Vaz, stepped down, allowing Embaló to take office.

His Time as President

Embaló with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, January 1, 2023

Embaló with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem, Israel, March 3, 2024

Embaló with Russian President Vladimir Putin before the Moscow Victory Day Parade in Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2024

President Embaló described his way of governing as "Embaloism." He explained this as focusing on "order, discipline, and development." He believed that every country and president, no matter how small, has importance.

He started efforts to fight corruption in the country. For example, he ordered the installation of surveillance cameras. He also ordered the arrest of a public health minister on charges of misusing money in 2021.

During his presidency, troops from the Economic Community of West African States left Guinea-Bissau in 2020. These troops had been in the country since 2012. Embaló also worked to arrange visits from leaders of other countries and international groups. This included the first visit from the Portuguese government in thirty years. His first official trip as president was to Senegal, Niger, and Nigeria in March 2020.

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

In May 2022, President Embaló dissolved Guinea-Bissau's parliament. He explained this was due to "ongoing and unsolvable disagreements" with the parliament.

In July 2023, he attended a summit in Russia and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On December 4, 2023, Embaló again dissolved the parliament. He said this was because of reports of another attempted military takeover. The Speaker of the Parliament, Domingos Simões Pereira, accused Embaló of taking power unfairly.

On March 3, 2024, Embaló visited Jerusalem and showed his support for Israel. He told Israeli President Isaac Herzog that Guinea-Bissau was ready to help in any way possible.

There were discussions about when Embaló's term as president would officially end. Some groups said it ended on February 27, 2025, while the Supreme Court ruled it ended on September 4, 2025. On March 3, 2025, Embaló announced he would run for president again in the November election. He continued to hold the presidency after September 4, 2025, even though his legal term had expired.

Under Embaló's leadership, Guinea-Bissau helped with peace talks. These talks were between the Senegalese government and a group called the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance. These discussions led to a new peace agreement on February 25, 2025, to end the Casamance conflict.

The 2025 Election and Change in Leadership

Embaló ran for a second presidential term in the 2025 Guinea-Bissau general election on November 23, 2025. Both he and Fernando Dias da Costa claimed victory the next day, even before official results were announced.

On November 26, 2025, Embaló was arrested. This happened during a military takeover carried out by the army chief of staff. This event marked the end of his presidency.

Awards and Recognition

Umaro Sissoco Embaló has received several awards and honors from different countries:

Cape Verde:
- 1st Class of the Amílcar Cabral Order (July 10, 2021).
Democratic Republic of Congo:
- Grand Cordon of the Order of the National Heroes Kabila-Lumumba (April 30, 2025).
Djibouti:
- 1st Class of the Order of Grand Star of Djibouti (February 15, 2024)
East Timor:
- Grand Collar of the Order of Timor-Leste (November 28, 2023).
France:
- Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour (December 10, 2024)
Jordan:
- Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Renaissance (February 20, 2023).
Palestine:
- Grand Collar Order of the State of Palestine (March 6, 2024).
Portugal:
- Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry (October 24, 2023).
Senegal:
- Grand Cross of the National Order of the Lion (May 31, 2022).
United Arab Emirates
- Collar of the Order of Zayed (February 9, 2025).