Mahamat Idriss Deby

Palace Intrigues
Alassane Ouattara, Antonio Guterres, Gianni Infantino, Ahmed Kogri

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

Ivory CoastOuattara plies pressure on banks

EthiopiaAntonio Guterres in Tigray

AfricaFIFA's Infantino's gesture to CAF federations

Chad-EgyptChadian spymaster Ahmed Kogri's 24h Cairo stopover

Chad
Battle of wills between Savannah and junta intensifies

British oil junior Savannah Energy is trying to maintain its presence in Chad but the courts there are continuing to block its takeover of Exxonmobil's assets.

Chad
Chad's new director of customs under pressure from the IMF

Chad's new director of customs, Ahmat Abdelkerim, has been tasked with rapidly boosting the country's customs revenue, the country's main source of tax income, under the watchful eye of the IMF. Abdelkerim, a former Bolloré executive, hopes to draw inspiration from neighbouring Niger.

Chad, Italy
Sant'Egidio tasked with resurrecting Chadian national dialogue

The Italian lay Catholic association is working to facilitate the resumption of talks between the government in N'Djamena and groups that have not signed the Doha accord. It is trying to involve civilian entities like Les Transformateurs, but so far to no avail.

DRC, Qatar
Qatar disappointed by Tshisekedi's no-show

Qatari diplomats were due to host Paul Kagame and Félix Tshisekedi in Doha on 23 January, but the gathering was cancelled after Kinshasa pulled out at the last minute. A decision that came as a surprise to Qatar, given that it was Tshisekedi who had requested mediation in the conflict in eastern DRC.

Cameroon
Intelligence agents hunt author of parliamentary poison-pen letters

A series of anonymous letters purportedly signed by Cameroon's parliamentary speaker have sought to settle scores with several ruling party figures from the Far North region. Investigators recently questioned the speaker's top aide about these poison-pen letters.

Chad
N'Djamena nominates new ambassador to Paris

The Chadian Foreign Minister has put forward the name of Ahmad Makaila, the current Chadian representative in Geneva, to replace Kedallah Younous Hamidi as ambassador to Paris.

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.

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
ExxonMobil's messy exit from Chad

After selling its shares to Savannah Energy, ExxonMobil has pulled out of Chad but no agreement has been reached with the state on its final tax settlement. The government may be seeking to strike an alternative deal with Savannah's rival, Perenco.

Mauritania, Sahel
Ghazouani makes fresh attempt to revive G5 Sahel

The G5 Sahel alliance has been virtually inoperative since Mali withdrew from it, but Mauritanian president Mohamed Ould Ghazouani is striving - not without difficulty - to revive it. He wants the organisation's presidency transferred from Chad to Niger at a summit meeting to be held next February.

Chad, France
Emmanuel Macron has renewed contact with Mahamat Idriss Deby

After several weeks of uneasy relations between Paris and N'Djamena, the French president spoke on the telephone with Mahamat Idriss Deby in mid-November. A main topic of conversation was how to get groups which did not sign the Doha peace agreement in August involved again in the national dialogue process.

Chad
Kaka's reprieve from the African Union PSC explained

The ruling junta in N'Djamena has succeeded in avoiding suspension from the AU. Its subtle game of dividing the Peace and Security Council's 15 members has paid off.