Chad
Déby's nephew Bedey takes transitional military council to the skies

Palace Intrigues
Emmanuel Macron, Andry Rajoelina, Felix Tshisekedi, Marcel Niat Njifenji and Abakar Manany

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

MadagascarMacron and Rajoelina in Parisian tête-à-tête

DRCFormer adviser 'JCK' invites himself along on Tshisekedi's Oyo trip

ChadAbakar Manany, a minister far from N'Djamena

CameroonSenate president Marcel Niat Njifenji holidays in Geneva

Libya
African Union calls for national reconciliation conference in Libya

At the 36th summit of the African Union, the High-Level Committee on the Libyan question strongly urged the holding of a national reconciliation conference.

Chad
Abakar Manany preferred as Mahamat Idriss Deby's sherpa in Washington

Mahamat Idriss Deby's special adviser, Abakar Manany, made extensive use of his connections to prepare the Chadian president's December visit to the United States. He got the upper hand over the president's step-brother, Abdelkrim Deby, who took a more guarded approach.

Chad, France
N-Soft to take possession of N'Djamena's French property

The telecommunications group has won its case in Paris to take over the Chadian government's assets to cover payment of a €25m debt.

Africa, France
New foreign minister names her African adviser

Catherine Colonna has appointed a diplomat previously posted to the UN and to Burkina Faso to be her senior advisor on Africa.

Mauritania
Nouakchott mends fences with Qatar, one plank at a time

The presidential palace is taking baby steps to restore the ties it abruptly cut with the gas-rich emirate four years ago.

Congo
Sassou sends diplomatic stalwart for AU seat

According to our sources, former Conogolese ambassador to China, Daniel Owassa, will hand over his credentials to the chairman of the African Union (AU) Commission, Moussa Faki, in the coming days.

Central Africa
Touadera becomes a Bestfly client after Tshisekedi and Sassou Nguesso

The head of state of Central African Republic (CAR) recently began using jets operated by Angolan company Bestfly, which has seen its clientele of West African leaders grow fast in line with regional diplomatic activity.

Congo
Sassou reshuffles his UN representation in New York

Raymond-Serge Bale left his post at the head of the New York representation in mid-December, after being appointed ambassador to India. He will be replaced by Lazare Makayat Safouesse, currently Congo's representative to the African Union.

Chad
Nurol Holding, standard bearer of Turkish interests in N'Djamena

Having recently delivered a new batch of twelve armoured vehicles for the Chadian army, the Turkish conglomerate Nurol Holding has consolidated its presence in N'Djamena and is also eyeing opportunities in the construction, infrastructure and mining sectors.

Algeria
French military still banned from Algerian air space despite diplomatic outreach

Paris hopes Algeria will soon lift its ban on the use of its airspace to resupply military operations in the Sahel, namely Barkhane. The army is currently using private foreign sub-contractors, not part of the ban, to fly equipment over Algeria.

Chad
EU set to stump up €40m for Chad transition

Little inclined to support N'Djamena directly under the rule of Idriss Déby, the European Union has agreed to provide exceptional budgetary assistance to Chad at a time when its finances are in especially poor shape.

Africa
Several African heads of state to attend Paris Peace Forum

Over ten African heads of state will travel to France for the Paris Peace forum, due to be held 11 November.

Africa, Portugal
The Council of the Portuguese Diaspora looks to develop its presence in Africa

The Eurafrican Forum, which has just taken place, has put the spotlight on the Council of the Portuguese Diaspora that organised it. The council is composed of influential Portuguese business people, based outside their home country, who are looking to extend lusophone influence in Africa.

Africa
AU summit switch to Addis deals diplomatic blow to Kaka

Interim president Mahamat Idriss Déby's hope of winning tacit approval for his rule have been dashed after the African Union chose Addis Ababa over N'Djamena for its next summit.

Chad
'Kaka' and Faki's cold war paralyses African Union

Relations between N'Djamena and the AU's Moussa Faki Mahamat are at such a low ebb that they are undermining the organisation's ability to deal with the crisis in Chad. Various initiatives are being studied to up the pressure on the junta, which has failed to amend controversial clauses of the charter serving as the rulebook for the 18-month transition period supposed to lead to a democratic future.

Chad upheaval prompts intelligence power struggle

Idriss Deby's succession is of great interest to intelligence services that have a stake in Chad as a regional platform. Having already toured African capitals, Ahmed Kogri, the head of the National Security Agency, will next visit the Transitional Military Council's allies outside the continent to drum up support.