At the invitation of Gabonese President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, former President of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, visited Libreville on Sunday, May 3rd. He attended the inauguration of the City of Democracy that same day.

The former leader was on the same platform as Macky Sall, former president of Senegal, Boni Yayi, former president of Benin and Olusegun Obasanjo, former commander-in-chief of Nigeria.

Embalo had not been seen in public since the controversial coup of November 26, 2025.

Six sitting heads of state also took part in the ceremony. These were the presidents of Congo (Denis Sassou Nguesso), Central African Republic (Faustin Archange Touadéra), Ghana (John Dramani Mahama), Sierra Leone (Julius Maada Bio), Burundi (Évariste Ndayishimiye) and Sao Tome and Principe (Carlos Villa Nova).

Umaro Sissoco Embalo had not been seen in public since the controversial coup that deposed him in November 2025. He lives in exile in Morocco.

Suites designed to accommodate VIP guests, a large conference room and a museum

The City of Democracy, whose inauguration he came to attend, is a modern architectural complex distinguished by its functional spaces and level of equipment adapted to hosting high-level meetings.

It includes several buildings, suites for VIP guests, a large conference hall, and a museum dedicated to the memory of the late President Omar Bongo Ondimba. Gabon intends to make this infrastructure available to Africa and the world.

President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguéma has clearly indicated that his country intends to host the African Union Summit in 2027 and that of the International Organisation of the Francophonie in 2030.