Intrigues big and small – every Thursday, Africa Intelligence takes a peek into the corridors of power in Africa and beyond.
The French energy and telecoms giant is struggling to maintain its subcontracting work with oil companies in Africa. It has been directly accused of responsibility for the deadly fire on the Becuna platform in Gabon in March and faces other problems elsewhere in the wider region.
Guinea's courts have gone back on their initial decision to allow Ibrahima Kassory Fofana to seek medical treatment abroad. This turnaround comes as General Doumbouya has ordered that the former prime minster be brought to trial for misappropriation of public funds before 15 January.
Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has promised MPs he will look into their claims that mining activities conducted by France's Eramet are harming the environment. It's an issue that divides the ruling party.
Mali is the only country in the West African Economic and Monetary Union that does not have a programme with the International Monetary Fund. It has been negotiating in recent weeks with the financial institution, which quietly dispatched a mission to Bamako in mid-December.
Former president Marc Ravalomanana and his wife have both served as mayor of Madagascar's capital. Now their son Tojo is going for the job. He made good use of his famous surname and his parents' political connections while on the campaign trail.
The candidacy of former minister of tourism and antiquities Khaled al-Anani for the post of director general of the UN body has benefited from the Gabonese candidate's withdrawal following lobbying at the highest level of state.