Umaro Sissoco Embaló

Umaro Sissoco Embaló, born on September twenty-third, nineteen seventy-two, is a prominent Bissau-Guinean politician and former military officer. He served as the sixth president of Guinea-Bissau from 2020 until his deposition in a coup d'état in 2025. A member of the Madem G15 party, Embaló previously held the position of the eighteenth prime minister under President José Mário Vaz from 2016 to 2018.

Embaló was born into a Muslim Fulani family in Bissau and pursued his education at the Technical University of Lisbon in Portugal and the Complutense University of Madrid in Spain, where he earned a bachelor's degree in political science and a doctorate in international relations. His military career began after joining the Bissau-Guinean Army, where he received training in various countries, including Belgium, Israel, South Africa, Japan, and France. Before venturing into politics, he taught subjects related to African and Middle-Eastern affairs, defense, international cooperation, and development.

In 2016, Embaló entered the political arena by joining the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC), the ruling party at the time. His tenure as prime minister was marked by a growing dispute with the PAIGC, leading him to leave the party and establish the Madem G15 party in 2018. He won the presidential election in November 2019 and was sworn in as president in February 2020.

During his presidency, Embaló oversaw significant changes, including the withdrawal of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) troops and efforts to foster international relations. However, his administration faced criticism for increasingly authoritarian practices, including the dissolution of opposition-dominated parliaments. Despite announcing in September 2024 that he would not seek re-election, he later reversed this decision, asserting his intention to remain in power beyond 2030.

Embaló's presidency came to an abrupt end on November twenty-sixth, twenty twenty-five, when a coup led by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of the People resulted in his detention. He became the fourth president of Guinea-Bissau to be deposed in a coup and was noted for his unique governing style, which he termed 'Embaloism,' emphasizing order, discipline, and development.