Félix Tshisekedi

DRC
Former independent candidate Majondo-Mwamba hires a US lobbyist

Despite the fiasco of his 2023 presidential bid, which he withdrew from six days before the poll that went in favour of President Félix Tshisekedi, the former NFL American football player wants to have another go in 2028.

DRC
Félix Tshisekedi sends his prime minister to the United Nations General Assembly

Originally scheduled to visit New York, the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo ultimately decided not to make the trip – despite the fact that an advance team had been sent in recent weeks to prepare for his arrival.

DRC
Glencore ordered to review its hundreds of subcontractors

The new head of DRC's subcontracting regulator has ordered Glencore's Congolese subsidiaries, Kamoto Copper Co and Mutanda Mining, to urgently review their portfolios of service providers. More than 1,500 of these providers are affected, and failure to comply will result in heavy financial penalties.

DRC
Ex-presidential representative Serge Tshibangu seeks to draw in foreign investors

The head of the US-Europe-Africa Business Council wants to bring together Congolese decision-makers, lenders and industrial groups in Johannesburg in November around major projects in the DRC. The aim is to replicate the model already used with South Africa's Yellowstone Group on a motorway project.

Palace Intrigues
Romuald Wadagni, Alassane Ouattara, Denis Sassou-Nguesso, Daoussa Déby

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

BeninRomuald Wadagni misses Ivory Coast independence celebrations

CongoDenis Sassou-Nguesso's security chiefs alarmed by Fabien Singaye's presence in Kinshasa

ChadDaoussa Idriss Déby makes discreet Paris visit

DRC
Diamond firm MIBA seeks new sparkle after chief's departure

While a disagreement with the board of directors led to the departure of the chief executive of the state-owned mining company, its chair, Jean-Charles Okoto Lolakombe, wants to cut ties with Asa Resource Group, a minority shareholder.

DRC
The discreet ex-Kabila unit advising Tshisekedi on national dialogue

The president is relying on a team made up of several former senior figures from his predecessor's party to draw up a roadmap to address political tensions and the security crisis.

DRC
AFC-M23 challenges UN sanctions

The rebel movement, which controls a large part of the DRC, wrote to the UN sanctions committee at the end of July to complain about measures targeting several of its leaders. These include the movement's head, Corneille Nangaa.

Palace Intrigues
Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, Omar-Denis Junior Bongo, Brigitte and Tina Touadéra

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

GabonBrice Clotaire Oligui Nguema expected in Abidjan

GabonOmar-Denis Junior referred to the criminal court whilst at his wedding

Central African RepublicFaustin-Archange Touadéra's wives on a visit to Russia

Central African Republic
Plane shipping ammunition makes curious return trip after Bangui grounding

Held on the tarmac at M'Poko airport with an arms shipment bound for Chad, an Airbus A321 freighter was eventually authorised to leave for Cairo before continuing on to N'Djamena. The episode highlights a cooling in relations between the Central African Republic and its northern neighbour.

Gabon
Negotiations stall around the neverending Hôtel Pozzo di Borgo story

While the French courts are due to rule on the future of the luxurious Parisian property owned by the Gabonese state, a host of intermediaries, lawyers and businessmen are busy behind the scenes, operating independently of Libreville's official legal strategy.

DRC
Sassou-Nguesso's behind-the-scenes push to unlock neighbour's national dialogue

Concerned that an uncontrollable political crisis in the DRC could spill over and destabilise the region, the Congolese president has personally stepped in to try to persuade Félix Tshisekedi to ease political tensions. His quiet mediation intensified during their meeting in Brazzaville in early July.

DRC
Behind MIBA board of directors' move to cut diamond mining CEO loose

The majority of the firm's board members have written to President Félix Tshisekedi calling for the dismissal of André Kabanda Kana, who is at the helm of the state-owned firm. In addition to differences of opinion regarding the company's recovery plan, the letter also highlights allegations of improper expenditure.

DRC
Public-private partnership agency APCSC boosts presence in Washington

The APCSC agency, managed since its inception by Freddy Yodi Shembo, has enlisted a PR firm run by a specialist in US-Africa economic relations.