In Focus | Africa, Qatar, Saudi Arabia
Limam Chafi, Boni Yayi and Adam Toure, the African emissaries working for rival Gulf brothers
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The cold war triggered between Qatar and Saudi Arabia a year ago has had a ripple effect across Africa, where each oil monarch wants to rally as many supporters to his side as possible. Without a network of power on the continent, Riyadh and Doha have both turned to former African presidential advisors known for their discretion.
The bespectacled face of Mustapha Limam Chafi, with his trademark round gold-rimmed glasses, is a familiar sight at all the grand hotels along Doha's waterfront promenade, from the Saint-Regis to the Shangri-La, and the W. Every two months, the Mauritanian-born diplomat is invited by the Qatari monarch to stay, all expenses paid, in return for his counsel. The man who had served as the imperturbable diplomatic advisor to the former Burkinabe president Blaise Compaore now instructs all those who meet
