The two consortia involved in the Simandou iron ore project seem to be reluctant to pledge the $500m sought by the construction groups to restart the rail construction work that was stopped in 2022. These uncertainties are fuelling renewed tensions.
Africa Intelligence identifies four candidates to succeed Léopold Maxime Eko Eko. The head of the Directorate General of External Research was indicted on 4 March in the case of journalist Martinez Zogo's murder.
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Defence A high-level delegation from the China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corp (CATIC) travelled last week to Kinshasa, accompanied by officers from the People's Liberation Army (PLA), to try to sell its JF-17 Thunder fighter jets to DR Congo.
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Defence 
After serving as Mali's ambassador in Moscow, General Harouna Samaké was recalled by junta leader Assimi Goïta to head the army. He will be helped in his new job by his wide-ranging connections within the Malian armed forces.
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Defence Each of the BICICI's new Ivorian shareholders has appointed two or three directors to represent it on the bank's newly constituted board.
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Finance 
The Dubai giant is the favourite to build the Dongo Kundu special economic zone. Having already been approached to manage some Kenyan ports, the firm came under fire from William Ruto's camp ahead of last year's presidential election.
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Infrastructure While he waits for the next presidential elections in 2027, former Somalian president Farmajo has decided to take up residence in Qatar, which was the main foreign backer of his regime. His defeat in the elections has not diminished Qatar's interest in Somalia, where it continues to foster its ties.
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Diplomacy 
Siteny Randrianasoloniaiko, who is running for president, can count on his economic links with the family of Marius Vizer, who heads the International Judo Federation and is close to Vladimir Putin.
Moroccan IT services leader N+One Datacenters has won a contract to equip a data centre under Senegal's Digital Technology Park project.
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Business The World Bank's International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes will hold a first sitting on 27 March in Washington, DC on the disputes between Tayeb Benabderrahmane and the Qatari authorities.
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Business 
