The Take After a military coup, what is next for Guinea-Bissau?
Dec 2, 2025
Shola Lawal, a freelance journalist focused on West Africa and reporting for Al Jazeera, dives into the recent military coup in Guinea-Bissau. She discusses the coup's timing, right before election results, and the junta's claims of election fraud. With the country heavily reliant on cashew farming yet shadowed by cocaine trafficking, she examines its reputation as Africa's first narco-state. Lawal also explores regional reactions, the impact on the economy, and how the coup fits into a broader wave of instability across West Africa.
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Sudden Military Intervention
- The military announced they had
Historic Party Excluded
- The PAIGC, a historic liberation party, was disqualified on a technicality from the vote.
- That exclusion made the election unusually tense and raised stakes for many voters.
Embattled Incumbent's Troubled Rule
- President Umaro Sissoco Embaló ruled amid contested legitimacy and dissolved parliament multiple times.
- By 2023–2025 he was governing by decree, fueling accusations he engineered instability.