Gambiaj.com – (BISSAU, Guinea-Bissau) – Guinea-Bissau’s President, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, has accused Portuguese broadcaster RDP-Africa of being hostile toward him, claiming the station has also exhibited bias against past Muslim leaders of the country.

Speaking after a meeting with the Régulos Association, an organization of traditional leaders, Embaló dismissed a recent RDP-Africa report that made a report on his life, from childhood to the presidency, suggesting that the broadcaster was unfairly critical.

“People who spoke in that report do not know my childhood,” Embaló said. “But I want to tell you that RDP is hostile to me, just as it was hostile to Serifo Nhamadjo and Malam Bacai Sanhá.”

Both Nhamadjo and Bacai Sanhá, former leaders of Guinea-Bissau, were Muslims, like Embaló. The president implied that RDP-Africa’s alleged bias stemmed from religious factors, adding, “RDP is always hostile when it comes to presidents like this.”

The report in question, titled “Who is Sissoco Embaló?”, featured testimonies from Guinean citizens, including exiled former Prime Minister Aristides Gomes, whom Embaló dismissed as lacking credibility.

“The most unfortunate thing is what Aristides Gomes says about me. When it comes to serious matters, he cannot speak,” Embaló asserted, further claiming that during his government, seized drugs were placed in the state treasury but later disappeared.

Responding to allegations in the report that he had overstated his proximity to former President João Bernardo ‘Nino’ Vieira, Embaló insisted that he met Vieira in 1985 as a young man.

“I met President ‘Nino’ Vieira in 1985 still very young, but I do not admire anyone today. I admire my own journey, and people should admire me,” he remarked.

Despite his sharp criticism of RDP-Africa, Embaló stated that as president, he would not waste time responding to the broadcaster or to Aristides Gomes, asserting that such reports would not be directed at the president of Angola or other Portuguese-speaking African nations.

Meanwhile, the Régulos Association expressed their support for Embaló’s leadership, particularly praising his administration’s efforts in infrastructure development and the cashew marketing campaign. Mamadu Nene Baldé, the association’s president, commended the president for his “excellent work” and indicated their desire for him to serve a second term.