Former Guinea-Bissau President Embaló Announces Return as Questions Resurface Over Jammeh’s Promised Homecoming

Written by: Seringe S.T. Touray

Former Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embaló has announced a date for his return home, bringing renewed attention in neighbouring The Gambia to a question that has lingered for years: will former President Yahya Jammeh ever return?

Jammeh told supporters in October 2025 that he would return the following month, but November passed with him still in Equatorial Guinea. His position is complicated by UK travel sanctions, US restrictions and an ECOWAS-backed Special Tribunal and Special Prosecutor pursuing accountability for serious crimes and human rights violations committed during the Jammeh era.

His continued stay in Equatorial Guinea also depends in part on the political authorities there, meaning any future change in government could affect his ability to remain in the country.

After years of promises, do you think Yahya Jammeh will eventually return to The Gambia?