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IN FOCUS

The Focus pieces are the result of the Africa Intelligence editorial team's long-term investigations and aim to provide an in-depth analysis of the networks of political leaders and key players across the African continent.

ETHIOPIA Defence 03/10/2022

Abiy Ahmed builds tailored security strategy to fight Oromia rebels

While the eyes of the world are on northern Ethiopia, another conflict has been going on quietly in Oromia. In this region, the most populous in Ethiopia, the prime minister is trying to modify his strategy to curb the OLA rebellion. [...]

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali with soldiers as he joins the frontline against rebel groups for the second time in Ethiopia, 29 November 2021.

AFRICA RUSSIA Politics Business Diplomacy 26/09/2022

Senator Morozov, Moscow's go-to PR rep in Africa for Putin, Russian business and the FSB

Igor Morozov heads AFROCOM, an organisation that aims to facilitate Russian companies' access to African markets. He is increasingly present on the continent, making regular trips and waging an aggressive commercial diplomacy there. [...]

Senator Igor Morozov, ex-FSB colonel, in Saint Petersburg, Russia, 16 June 2022.

NIGERIA Energy Politics 19/09/2022

The all-powerful Niger Delta leaders at the heart of the country's oil and political crises

Oil theft in Nigeria's Niger Delta region has become rampant. President Muhammadu Buhari is offering multi-million dollar contracts to the powerful leaders of armed local political groups in the hopes of being able to use their influence to the advantage of his party in the 2023 elections. [...]

Members of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) armed group, September 2008.

CAMEROON Defence 12/09/2022

Dobékréo, the battle-hardened general dispatched to softly crush secessionists

General Bouba Dobékréo was on the frontline of almost every conflict Cameroon has faced in recent decades, and has battled highway bandits, pirates, and radical Islamists. Now he has been dispatched to lead the fight against secessionist English-speaking rebels, and he plans to take a much less repressive approach than his predecessors. [...]

Two soldiers from the Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR), an elite unit of the Cameroonian army.

DRC UNITED STATES Mining Diplomacy 05/09/2022

US disillusioned over failure to turn DR Congo away from Beijing

Ever since Félix Tshisekedi took power, Washington had hoped he would curb China's huge influence in the country. Four years later, the United States is bitterly disappointed that it has failed to break Beijing's hegemony in strategic mining issues. [...]

US president Joe Biden and his Congolese counterpart Félix Tshisekedi in October 2021.

WEST AFRICA Business 29/08/2022

High hopes and pitfalls ahead after Marriott, Loum Diagne and Fakhoury take over Club Med sites

Businessmen in Senegal and Ivory Coast are dreaming of building luxury resorts on sites abandoned by the French operator Club Med. But Covid has hit the tourism sector hard. [...]

Archive photo of the Club Med Amun hotel in Aswan, Egypt.

DRC Politics 22/08/2022

Rabbi Moyal in last-ditch attempt at mediation between Dan Gertler and Félix Tshisekedi

Rabbi-businessman Avraham Moyal has become Dan Gertler's envoy to the Congolese authorities, as the Israeli mining magnate, who was all-powerful under Joseph Kabila, struggles with US sanctions. As he waits to be rehabilitated as the DRC's honorary consul in Israel, Gertler has surrounded himself with ultra-orthodox figures in preparation for his latest reconciliation with the Tshisekedi regime. [...]

Rabbi Avraham Moyal (left), Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and Pastor Paul-David Olangi (right) in March 2021 in Kinshasa.

AFRICA UKRAINE Defence 29/07/2022

Zelensky's Sudan connection - how Ukraine armed itself in Khartoum

Behind the display of harmony between Russia and its African allies during foreign minister Sergey Lavrov's recent tour, the war in Ukraine is taking its toll on Moscow's relations with the continent. Traditionally pro-Russia Sudan has agreed to serve as a layover for military equipment heading to Ukraine. [...]

Russian president Vladimir Putin and leader of Sudan's transitional council Abdel Fattah Al-Abdelrahman Burhan attend a meeting at the 2019 Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi, Russia.

SUDAN Defence 25/07/2022

Inside Sudan's labyrinthine military-industrial complex

At the heart of the disputes between civilians and the military, which led to the October 2021 coup, are the hundreds of Sudanese companies owned by the army and which remain an obscure maze in which public and private interests are intertwined. [...]

General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, chairman of Sudan's Sovereign Council and commander of the army, in Khartoum on 27 June 2022.

LIBYA Commodity traders 18/07/2022

Libya's agri-food tycoons position themselves to tackle crisis

As soaring food prices add to mounting social and economic pressures, just a handful of well-connected businessmen have found themselves in control of the agri-food sector so critical to the stability of the country. [...]

GUINEA RUSSIA Mining Diplomacy 11/07/2022

Moscow struggles to stay afloat in post-Condé Conakry

Guinea's stalwart partner under Alpha Condé, Russia has striven to protect its interests since Col Mamadi Doumbouya came to power in a coup last year. But its diplomats and businessmen have suffered several setbacks and are very short of contacts within the new set-up. [...]

Guinea's president, Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya, in Conakry on 17 September 2021.

WEST AFRICA Diplomacy 04/07/2022

From Abidjan to Doha: the secret missions of former minister Djibrill Bassolé

Legal problems prevent the erstwhile foreign minister of Burkina Faso setting foot in his own country, but that hasn't stopped him discreetly advising junta leader Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba. Thanks to his people skills, he is also doing diplomatic work in Qatar, Ivory Coast and Paris. [...]

Former Burkina Faso Foreign Minister Djibrill Yipènè Bassolé (photo from April 2012).

SOUTH AFRICA Energy Politics 27/06/2022

Eskom's fate caught up in the clash between Ramaphosa and Mantashe

South Africa's head of state supports the development of renewable energy, yet the energy minister opposes it and is promoting the benefits of coal. Caught in the crossfire of this political struggle is Eskom's CEO, Andre de Ruyter, who has come up with a recovery plan to save the ailing company. [...]

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (right) and his Minister of Mining and Energy, Gwede Mantashe.

KENYA Politics 20/06/2022

Shillings, prayers and votes: democracy in a very religious country

Kenya's top clerics are key pieces on the political chessboard as the country heads for the polls. Both presidential front-runners, are desperate to win the large Pentecostal vote. We delve behind-the-scenes of political preaching and fundraising to explore the role of religion in the campaign. [...]

Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and Apostolic Bishop Margaret Wanjiru in September 2010.

BURKINA FASO Diplomacy 13/06/2022

How religion and politics provide Moscow with a path to influence

In its efforts to gain sway in the Sahel, Russia is increasingly forging links with Burkina Faso's political and civil society circles. In so doing, it enjoys the unprecedented support of Wahhabist organisations. So far, the government has turned down Wagner's advances. [...]

A demonstrator holding a pro-Russian banner in Ouagadougou, 19 February 2022.

SAUDI ARABIA UNITED ARAB EMIRATES QATAR Commodity traders 06/06/2022

Gulf nations fall back on trading giants for food security

Faced with a tense food situation and the lukewarm success of their agricultural projects in Africa, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar have fallen back on commodities traders such as Louis Dreyfus and Olam. They are also using the traders' Dubai-based teams to help Egypt and other friendly nations struggling. [...]

Salic CEO Sulaiman al-Rumaih (left) and Olam group CEO Sunny George Verghese.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC CHAD Politics 30/05/2022

From Bangui to N'Djamena, the secret war of the Fula's 'defenders'

Rebel leaders Baba Laddé, Ali Darass and Hassan Bouba have proclaimed themselves defenders of the Fula, a community widely shunned within the region, in a strategy of self-defence that handily fits in with their own interests. [...]

Rebel leader Ali Darass, head of the Union pour la paix en Centrafrique (UPC).

ANGOLA BOTSWANA SIERRA LEONE ZIMBABWE Mining 23/05/2022

Sanctions-hit Alrosa's woes impact on continent's diamond producers

The West's sanctions on the Russian mining colossus Alrosa, the world's largest diamond producer, are taking a huge toll on Angola, its main partner. That has left the field open for the world's second largest diamond producer, Botswana, to charge ahead. [...]

Angolan President Joao Lourenco (C) watches as Endiama CEO Jose Manuel Augusto Ganga Junior (L) shakes hands with Alrosa CEO Sergei Ivanov (R), in the Kremlin in Moscow, 4 April 2019.

AFRICA UNITED NATIONS Defence 16/05/2022

Chad, Togo and Ivory Coast vie for blue helmet contracts

Amid Europe's gradual military withdrawal from Mali and as peacekeeping needs grow in the Central African Republic, three states are jostling for lucrative troop contribution contracts. But the UN's strict rules on equipment and training place tall hurdles in the way of their ambitions. [...]

A Chadian MINUSMA soldier parades during a visit by Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Hervé Ladsous to Tessalit, Mali, in March 2013.

NIGERIA CHAD Business 09/05/2022

The secret story of Déby clan's links with Nigerian mogul Ali Modu Sheriff

The vastly wealthy businessman and former governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff, formed powerful business and matrimonial ties with Chad during his time in politics. He has continued to nurture these relations since Idriss Déby's death last year. [...]

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Abiy Ahmed builds tailored security strategy to fight Oromia rebels

Senator Morozov, Moscow's go-to PR rep in Africa for Putin, Russian business and the FSB

IN FOCUS

Abiy Ahmed builds tailored security strategy to fight Oromia rebels

Senator Morozov, Moscow's go-to PR rep in Africa for Putin, Russian business and the FSB

The all-powerful Niger Delta leaders at the heart of the country's oil and political crises

Dobékréo, the battle-hardened general dispatched to softly crush secessionists

US disillusioned over failure to turn DR Congo away from Beijing

High hopes and pitfalls ahead after Marriott, Loum Diagne and Fakhoury take over Club Med sites

Rabbi Moyal in last-ditch attempt at mediation between Dan Gertler and Félix Tshisekedi

Zelensky's Sudan connection - how Ukraine armed itself in Khartoum

Inside Sudan's labyrinthine military-industrial complex

Libya's agri-food tycoons position themselves to tackle crisis

Moscow struggles to stay afloat in post-Condé Conakry

From Abidjan to Doha: the secret missions of former minister Djibrill Bassolé

Eskom's fate caught up in the clash between Ramaphosa and Mantashe

Shillings, prayers and votes: democracy in a very religious country

How religion and politics provide Moscow with a path to influence

Gulf nations fall back on trading giants for food security

From Bangui to N'Djamena, the secret war of the Fula's 'defenders'

Sanctions-hit Alrosa's woes impact on continent's diamond producers

Chad, Togo and Ivory Coast vie for blue helmet contracts

The secret story of Déby clan's links with Nigerian mogul Ali Modu Sheriff

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Abiy Ahmed builds tailored security strategy to fight Oromia rebels

Senator Morozov, Moscow's go-to PR rep in Africa for Putin, Russian business and the FSB

Transition in Guinea: what's next after the coup?

Africa in the Russia-Ukraine war

Chad post-Idriss Deby: the big unknown

IN FOCUS

Abiy Ahmed builds tailored security strategy to fight Oromia rebels

Senator Morozov, Moscow's go-to PR rep in Africa for Putin, Russian business and the FSB

The all-powerful Niger Delta leaders at the heart of the country's oil and political crises

Dobékréo, the battle-hardened general dispatched to softly crush secessionists

US disillusioned over failure to turn DR Congo away from Beijing

High hopes and pitfalls ahead after Marriott, Loum Diagne and Fakhoury take over Club Med sites

Rabbi Moyal in last-ditch attempt at mediation between Dan Gertler and Félix Tshisekedi

Zelensky's Sudan connection - how Ukraine armed itself in Khartoum

Inside Sudan's labyrinthine military-industrial complex

Libya's agri-food tycoons position themselves to tackle crisis

Moscow struggles to stay afloat in post-Condé Conakry

From Abidjan to Doha: the secret missions of former minister Djibrill Bassolé

Eskom's fate caught up in the clash between Ramaphosa and Mantashe

Shillings, prayers and votes: democracy in a very religious country

How religion and politics provide Moscow with a path to influence

Gulf nations fall back on trading giants for food security

From Bangui to N'Djamena, the secret war of the Fula's 'defenders'

Sanctions-hit Alrosa's woes impact on continent's diamond producers

Chad, Togo and Ivory Coast vie for blue helmet contracts

The secret story of Déby clan's links with Nigerian mogul Ali Modu Sheriff

Refine your search

First visit

Contacts

Tools

Follow us

A website produced by

Indigo Publications also publishes: