Shola Lawal

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.