Mouvement cœurs unis

Palace Intrigues
Denis Sassou-Nguesso, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, Alassane Ouattara, Patrice Talon, Faustin-Archange Touadéra

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

Congo Sassou puts finishing touches on Congo Basin summit preparations

Ivory Coast Ouattara thinks twice about naming bridge after Gbagbo

Benin President's son Lionel Talon seeks to bring NBA to Cotonou

CAR Pro-Russian sports minister invited to Paris Olympics

Central African Republic
Tamoil petrol stations taken over as CAR's fuel crisis continues

Amid a major fuel shortage in the Central African Republic, Energy Minister Arthur Bertrand Piri decided to requisition six Tamoil petrol stations and give three of them to Prisca Mamadou, an influential businesswoman and wife to the head of the country's armed forces.

Central African Republic
PM lashes out at energy minister Piri

Félix Mouloua has expressed his dissatisfaction over the World Bank's cancellation of a payment for an energy project overseen by Arthur Bertrand Piri. The money is now definitively lost.

Central African Republic
MPs plot to oust speaker of parliament Sarandji

Some thirty MPs have called for the removal of ‘SMS' - a development welcomed by his main rival for the post of speaker, Evariste Ngamana.

Central African Republic
Minair, Wagner's favourite local airline

Deprived of some of their plans in Central African Republic for months, the Russian paramilitary group Wagner's men have turned to a local solution and is using the airline Minair.

Central African Republic
Trouble in ranks of Touadéra's presidential guard

One of the leaders of the elite group of the presidential guard, Lieutenant Rafai, has been on the run for several days. Well-liked by Wagner's paramilitaries, he has been in dispute with a close friend of the president, Colonel Wananga.

Central Africa, Central African Republic
Simplice Mathieu Sarandji clings on as speaker of parliament

The brunt of criticism for resisting President Touadéra's efforts to reform the constitution, "SMS" has managed to hold on to his post as speaker so far, thanks in part to his defiant speech during the opening of parliament.

Central African Republic
CAR Constitutional Court faces increasing pressure

The Constitutional Court, headed by Daniele Darlan, is due to rule by the end of the month on the legality of the drafting committee for a new constitution, set up on 26 August by Faustin-Archange Touadéra.

Central African Republic
Constitutional reform bill on course to let Touadera seek third term

The Central African head of state wants a constitutional reform bill to go through parliament in July. Despite misgivings, national assembly speaker Simplice Mathieu Sarandji cannot oppose the text that should open the way to a third mandate for Touadera.

Central African Republic
President's security chief takes charge of Olympic committee

The head of presidential security in CAR, Alfred Service, has taken over the country's national Olympic committee with the backing of Rodolphe Héritier Doneng at the sports ministry. Both men have ties with Les Requins, a shadowy group accused by the UN of illegal operations.