By Abdoulie John
Former Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Emballó, deposed in a bloodless military takeover last week, has left the Republic of Congo and arrived in the Kingdom of Morocco, multiple credible sources confirmed to The Alkamba Times on Wednesday.
Emballó, who initially sought refuge in Brazzaville after the November 26 coup, boarded a private jet on Wednesday morning, accompanied by close family members and a reduced security detail. Sources close to the matter said the aircraft was bound for Morocco. However, it remains unclear whether it landed in Rabat or Marrakech – the current residence of his political mentor, ex-Senegalese President Macky Sall.
No official reason has been given for the sudden relocation, marking Emballó’s second exile destination in less than ten days. The move reunites him with Sall, who has lived in Morocco since stepping down in April 2024 after serving two terms as Senegal’s head of state.
Emballó’s rise to power in 2020 was widely attributed to strong backing from Dakar during Sall’s presidency. Regional analysts have long described the ousted leader as a close protégé of the former Senegalese strongman, with unconfirmed reports even linking Emballó to membership in Sall’s former ruling party, the Alliance for the Republic (APR).
The departure from Congo comes amid growing criticism of Guinea-Bissau’s military junta. On Wednesday, ECOWAS Parliamentarian Guy Marius Sagnia publicly accused the new regime of orchestrating a “constitutional coup d’état.”
In a strongly worded Facebook post, the Senegalese lawmaker condemned the junta’s decision to dissolve the National People’s Assembly barely six months after legislative elections.
“According to Guinea-Bissau’s constitution, the National Assembly can only be dissolved after eight months,” Sagnia wrote. “The junta has bent the rules in dissolving a six-month-old lawmaking body.”
Sagnia urged the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to adopt a stricter stance and demanded an immediate return to constitutional order.
“There is no room for condoning this absurdity!” he declared.
As Emballó begins what appears to be a prolonged exile in North Africa, the West African nation remains under military rule with no clear timeline for a return to civilian governance.
