Mamadi Doumbouya

Palace Intrigues
Mamadi Doumbouya, Paul Biya, Mohamed Benchaaboun and Zinedine Zidane

Intrigues big and small... Every Tuesday, Africa Intelligence takes a peek into the corridors of power in Africa and beyond. This week: Mamadi Doumbouya's luxury watch collection, Paul Biya's NY wishes cull, Mohammed VI snubs ex-ambassador Mohamed Benchaaboun and French VIPs celebrate NYE in Marrakech.

Guinea Colonel Doumbouya's €400,000 wristwatch

Cameroon Everyone wants their New Year's photo with Biya

Morocco Glacial reception for Mohamed Benchaaboun in Rabat

France-Morocco Zidane among French VIPs in Marrakech for NYE

Guinea
West African elections slow ECOWAS negotiations with junta in Conakry

The Guinean junta wants to speed up talks with the West African regional organisation on a return to civilian rule in the hope that this will lead to more foreign aid. But it will have to be patient, as ECOWAS is currently focused on elections in Benin and Nigeria.

Mali
MINUSMA plans ahead after mass withdrawals announced

With the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Ivory Coast and Benin, expressing their wish to withdraw their peacekeeping contingents from the MINUSMA mission in Mali, the United Nation's Department of Peace Operations (DPO) has been trying to compensate for the expected loss of peacekeepers.

Guinea
Guinean diplomats irked by Sidibe Fatoumata Kaba's posting as ambassador to the US

Corruption charges failed to prevent the foreign service veteran's appointment, which has not met with universal approval from Guinea's diplomatic corps. Here, we take a closer look at a questionable posting.

Guinea
In Conakry, Condé's former ministers living under tight surveillance

As Alpha Condé seeks to return to Guinean politics after his ouster, many of his former ministers are living under harsh restrictions imposed by the country's new government.

Guinea
Bpifrance set to finalise Eiffage's €200m hospital contract

The state-owned French investment bank Bpifrance is working on the final details of a €198m contract that construction firm Eiffage won last month to build regional university hospitals in four towns in Guinea.

Guinea
Junta helps Barry Angola to jettison his Emirati bauxite partner

Businessman Thierno Madiou Barry has received support from the Ministry of Mines to oust his partner Butti Mohamed al-Qubaisi, despite the intervention of the Abu Dhabi ambassador. However, the new partners Barry claims to have found - Citibank, CRCC and CECC - have not yet formalised their support for his gigantic mining project.

The New Guard
Congo, Guinea, Burundi, Kenya

Every Wednesday, Africa Intelligence spotlights the next generation of movers and shakers in business and politics.

Congo Michel Djombo becomes the bosses' boss

Guinea Lionel Chobli picked to roll out fibre optic

Burundi Evrard Havyarimana boosts business links for Burundi diaspora in France

Kenya Carolyne Kamende Daudi at heart of the trial of the year

Guinea
Junta cracks down on illegal gold mining

Mamadi Doumbouya has ordered his troops to put an end to illegal mining in Siguiri, Guinea's main gold producing region. This activity is largely organised by Chinese nationals. The major miners in the area, notably AngloGold Ashanti and Nordgold, had been complaining for several months about the negative impact on their concessions.

Guinea
ECOWAS leaders again push for release of Guinea ministers jailed after coup

ECOWAS leaders have since October been calling for the release of Guinean ministers jailed after president Alpha Condé was overthrown in a military coup. They again addressed the issue at the regional organisation's summit on 4 December in Nigeria.

Guinea
Fadi Wazni edges closer to his alumina refinery dream

Guinea : the Franco-Guinean businessman of Lebanese origin Fadi Wazni has received the green light from Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya for his alumina refinery

Guinea
Tax authorities order mining companies to pay their dues quickly

Tax authority director general Mory Camara and his staff have sent out a number of letters to the mining companies in recent weeks, ordering them to pay their dues quickly.

Guinea
Robert Friedland shakes up his Guinea team

On 1 November, the American-Canadian mining tycoon Robert Friedland went ahead with the expected reshuffle of his management team for the project at mount Nimba in Guinea.

Guinea
WCS works on new Simandou strategy

Winning Consortium Simandou has retained Franco-Australian lawyer Christophe Asselineau, indicating a shift of power between the three partners of the consortium that owns blocks 1 and 2 of the massive iron ore deposit in Guinea.

Guinea
MEP Marie Arena scrutinises human rights in Guinea

The MEP Marie Arena is considering an emergency resolution on human rights violations allegedly committed in Guinea by the junta led by Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya.

Guinea
Monaco Resources tries to postpone final €70m repayment due to ECOWAS sanctions on Guinea

Conglomerate group subsidiary Metalcorp is notably blaming the West African sanctions on Conakry for its failure to make a repayment on a bonded debt. But in reality, its affiliate Societe des Bauxites de Guinee's financial and commercial problems have little to do with it.