The Congolese army recently placed an order for Russian military helicopters, much to the dismay of European powers and Washington.
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Defence 
In the night of 21-22 October, jihadist militants managed to take control of the Cameroonian army's advanced post in Djibrilli, on the border with Nigeria. The attack has rekindled debate over cuts to military spending in the fight against Boko Haram.
With energy projects in the pipeline and new ambassadors in place, Saudi Arabia and Chad's bilateral relations are becoming much more structured. Déby's latest envoy to Riyadh, Hassan Saleh Algam Aldjinedi, is arriving at a time of strong cooperation.
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Diplomacy 
Cashing in on a nickel craze driven by demand for electric vehicle batteries, Canadian mining firm Sama Resources is expanding its explorations in Ivory Coast, backed by the tycoons Robert and Govind Friedland.
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Mining At the time of the 30 September coup, the Burkinabe Ministry of the Budget owed over €600m to Sonabhy, the entity that manages the country's petroleum supply. The state-owned firm can no longer pay its traders, who are threatening to stop their oil deliveries.
The Burkinabe military junta leader has appointed one of his loyalists to head the National Theatre Operations Command (COTN). This is a strategic body in the fight against Islamist militants and was previously headed by the powerful Lieutenant Colonel Yves Didier Bamouni, a close friend of Traoré's predecessor, Paul Henri Damiba.
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Politics 
The latest outbreak of the deadly disease that began in early September has struck at the heart of Uganda's mostly artisanal gold production and slowed down extraction, trade and refining, whether legal or not.
After a short personal trip to Paris, for which there is no official agenda, Djibouti's Prime Minister Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed will fly to Cuba on 27 October where he is expected to make an official visit.
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Diplomacy 
South African miner Matthews Senosi has received approval from the authorities to buy yet another mine in Mpumalanga, ideally located next to an Eskom power plant.
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Mining On 18 October, South African Reserve Bank (SARB) seized Markus Jooste's assets, putting pressure on the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) over the financial scandal involving South African furniture giant Steinhoff
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Business 
EU Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders will visit Tunis on 11 November. He is expected to meet Tunisian head of government, Najla Bouden, as well as Minister of Justice, Leïla Jaffel.
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Diplomacy A delegation of Libyan military personnel responsible for procurement was in Paris from 14 to 20 October and held several meetings at the military office of the Libyan embassy in France.
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Defence 