United Nations

Palace Intrigues
Jay-Z, Pascaline Bongo, Lionel Talon, Franck Biya, Muhammadu Sanusi II

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

AfricaA host of VIPs at Jay-Z's Parisian concert

CameroonFranck Biya on low-key trip to France

NigeriaThe Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, visits Paris

Nigeria
Tinubu dispatches Vice President Shettima to New York for UN General Assembly

Unless there's a last-minute change of plan, Kashim Shettima will deliver an address to the UN General Assembly in New York at the 81st session, accompanied by a large delegation.

Morocco
Washington makes final calculations ahead of UN vote on Western Sahara

The Trump administration is weighing several options for MINURSO, with the upcoming UN vote on 31 October. Massad Boulos and Staffan de Mistura are seeking to extract as much progress as possible from negotiations before then, with little to show so far.

Nigeria
Meta seeks settlement with Abuja following $220m fine

The company founded by Mark Zuckerberg is negotiating an out-of-court settlement with Nigeria's consumer watchdog after its first appeal was rejected.

Nigeria
VP Shettima heads to New Delhi for BRICS summit

Currently on a private visit to Paris, and possibly due to head to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly, President Bola Tinubu will not take part in the BRICS summit scheduled for 12-13 September in the Indian capital.

Chad, Libya
Tripoli leverages Community of Sahel-Saharan States to seal rapprochement with Déby

Chad and Libya's Government of National Unity are using CEN-SAD to shape a new relationship, despite the risk of upsetting Benghazi and the Haftar clan, which prefers a more militarised approach to the Sahel.

Palace Intrigues
Romuald Wadagni, Alassane Ouattara, Denis Sassou-Nguesso, Daoussa Déby

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

BeninRomuald Wadagni misses Ivory Coast independence celebrations

CongoDenis Sassou-Nguesso's security chiefs alarmed by Fabien Singaye's presence in Kinshasa

ChadDaoussa Idriss Déby makes discreet Paris visit

Ivory Coast
Vice-President Tiémoko Meyliet Koné to represent Ouattara at UN General Assembly

The Ivorian president will send his second-in-command to stand in for him at the UN's next General Assembly, scheduled to open on 8 September in New York.

Sudan
RSF head Hemeti secretly cultivates ties with Israel

Since the start of the war, the Rapid Support Forces leadership has maintained high-level contacts with Tel Aviv. Its senior figures and leader's family members have made several trips there in a security cooperation that predates the conflict.

Ethiopia
Local banks reluctant to lend to Tigrayan businesses

Although the threat of renewed war is looming, five financial institutions have signed on to a programme to support the recovery of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises in northern Ethiopia. The EU and German funded initiative is trying to adapt to a deteriorating security environment.

Morocco
Swiss MP and businessman plays key role in deepening Bern-Rabat ties

A notable figure in the Swiss Confederation has, since 2022, become a fervent promoter of relations between the kingdom and his own country. He has also recently joined the board of a subsidiary of the powerful Moroccan pension fund CIMR, which is close to the royal palace.