A small contribution to this week’s issue of @thecontinent.org:

My new piece for @mongabay.com, with Oliver Dunn, analyses how Mauritania cracked down on its once-booming fishmeal industry. news.mongabay.com/2026/01/maur...

“Mohamed Ould Ghadda, President of NGO the Organization for Inclusive Transparency, was arrested at his home just before midnight, shortly after he announced he would present evidence of corruption in a case prosecutors had dismissed.” Oliver Dunn and I for @occrp.org:

Together with Oliver Dunn, we tried to bring some clarity to last month's obscure and confusing military coup in Guinea-Bissau – our new analysis for Africa Confidential:

Since early this year, Mauritania has been waging a mass deportation campaign targeting African migrants. Oliver Dunn and I spent weeks on the ground mapping abuses by authorities – and how the campaign is affecting the lives of migrant workers. Our story for Al Jazeera:

My deep dive, with Oliver Dunn for @newlinesmag.bsky.social, into how Jos Leijdekkers inserted himself into Sierra Leone’s elite – and quietly rebuilt his cocaine trafficking empire. “Having successfully waited out the scandal, the administration has no incentive to act.”

NEW: When the Dutch drug kingpin “Chubby” Jos Leijdekkers fled authorities in Europe, he landed in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where he rebuilt his empire alongside the country’s ruling family, report Oliver Dunn & @josefskrdlik.bsky.social for @newlinesmag.bsky.social. newlinesmag.com/reportage/wh...

My new piece, together with Oliver Dunn, for @africa-confidential.com, analysing recent developments in Mauritania’s political economy. We explore how the fall of former President Abdel Aziz affected political alliances, and examine Mauritania’s growing pragmatic partnership with the EU.

Eid al-Adha celebrations in Mauritania:

“The first lady drew a baseless link in her video between OCCRP’s investigation and her dispute with Koidu Limited, a company operating Sierra Leone’s largest diamond mine.”

The OCCRP exposé in Sierra Leonean newspapers:

A modest block of social housing in south London has an unlikely tenant – the first lady of Sierra Leone. Our story for The Times revealed how Fatima Jabbe-Bio continues to rent her council flat seven years into her husband’s presidency.

Since Julius Maada Bio became Sierra Leone’s president in April 2018, his wife and her family have scooped up luxury properties in The Gambia – with funds of unexplained origin. My investigation for OCCRP exposes Fatima Jabbe-Bio’s real estate portfolio. www.occrp.org/en/investiga...

A new story I worked on with The Republic, exposing corruption and mismanagement at Gambia’s state-owned printer, GPPC.

Mustapha K Darboe and I reveal how EU funds paid to IOM in The Gambia for returnee migrant reintegration fail to make any meaningful impact. The scheme has been turned into a cash cow for IOM-designated suppliers. Our new story for The Republic 👇

One of Europe’s most wanted, Dutch cocaine kingpin Jos Leijdekkers, lived undisturbed in Sierra Leone for two years – and even began a relationship with the president’s daughter. We investigate how he appeared in the country under a fake identity and embedded himself in local power structures.