Spotlight | Morocco
Rabat-Paris ties frostier than ever

Palace Intrigues
Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Samia Suluhu Hassan, Mahamadou Issoufou, Christophe Lecourtier

Intrigues big and small: every Thursday, Africa Intelligence takes a peek into the corridors of power in Africa and beyond.

Africa-France SummitBassirou Diomaye Faye promotes Youth Olympics, while Samia Suluhu Hassan misses gun

NigerAbba Issoufou, son of Mahamadou Issoufou, settles in New York

MoroccoRabat bids French ambassador Christophe Lecourtier goodbye

Morocco
President of French National Assembly due in Rabat

Yaël Braun-Pivet, is due to make an official visit from 11 to 13 December.

Morocco
French senate to host new delegation of Moroccan VIPs

The gathering is due to take place on 18 November after years of tension between the two countries.

Madagascar
Foreign minister cancels Paris visit after dissolution of French National Assembly

Madagascar's Foreign Minister Rafaravavitafika Rasata was supposed to travel to Paris on 17 June, but has since cancelled the visit following French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to dissolve the National Assembly.

Morocco
Mohammed VI to make personal trip to Paris

King Mohammed VI is scheduled to travel from Rabat to France in mid-April. In particular, he will pay a visit to his mother, Lalla Latifa, who lives in the suburbs of Paris and has suffered from poor health in recent years.

Morocco
French deputy trade minister Riester to visit Rabat

From 4-5 April, French deputy trade minister Franck Riester will be in Rabat to meet his Moroccan counterpart in another sign that diplomatic relations between Paris and Rabat are improving.

Morocco
Ex-customs boss Lakhdar turns consultant

Nabyl Lakhdar launched his own business and management consultancy in early 2024, days after leaving Morocco's ministry of economy and finance.

DRC
French government reshuffle delays DRC ambassador's accreditation

Despite being appointed DR Congo ambassador to Paris and Monaco in August, Emile Ngoy Kasongo has still not been able to present his credentials to the French authorities. The reason? The government reshuffle currently underway in Paris.

Morocco
Health minister Aït Taleb loosens purse strings for Oriental region

The Oriental region, one of the hardest hit by rising unemployment in Morocco, is currently the focus of attention of government ministers and Health Minister Aït Taleb is stepping up his initiatives in the region.

Morocco
Saudi ambassador Sami al-Saleh to serve in Rabat

Assistant Minister of State for African Affairs, Sami bin Abdullah al-Saleh, will soon become the next ambassador to Morocco, replacing Abdullah bin Saad al-Ghurairi, who was appointed in 2018.

Palace Intrigues
Joseph Kabila, Mahamadou Issoufou, Aya Nakamura, Azali Assoumani

Intrigues big and small: every Tuesday, Africa Intelligence takes a peek into the corridors of power in Africa and beyond.

DRCJoseph Kabila's spymaster Kalev Mutond in Paris

NigerCoup leaders differ over Issoufou's future

CongoSassous behind French pop star Aya Nakamura's Brazzaville show

African UnionFallout over G20 summit

Palace Intrigues
Ali Bongo, William Ruto, Nasser Bourita

Intrigues big and small: every Tuesday, Africa Intelligence takes a peek into the corridors of power in Africa and beyond.

Gabon the untold story behind Ali Bongo's distress call

Kenya Kenyatta's confidant's support for Ruto goes down badly

Morocco Bourita resumes talks with the French ambassador

Morocco
Mohammed VI's ambassadors-in-waiting

Several diplomats have been posted in Rabat for over a year but have not had the opportunity to present their letters of accreditation to the king.

North Africa
Macron holds on to North Africa adviser Durel for another year

Patrick Durel, French President Emmanuel Macron's adviser on North Africa, to stay on for another year.

Morocco
OCP negotiates partnership with Paris Peace Forum

Though tension between Paris and Rabat is high, massive Moroccan phosphate miner OCP may sponsor the upcoming French event.

Morocco
Danone's Moroccan branch tries one last throw of financial dice

The danger signals are everywhere for Centrale Danone, the Moroccan subsidiary of the French dairy giant, which has launched a financial salvage operation. The stakes are high for the parent company, since Morocco is its main African market.

Morocco
Western Sahara hangs heavy over Macron's Rabat visit

The Western Sahara question is complicating Emmanuel Macron's long-awaited visit to Rabat, initially planned for January.