Congo
Sassou-Nguesso hopes Russia trip will reap rich rewards

Congo
Denis Sassou-Nguesso to meet with Macron in Paris on 24 May

The Congolese president will finally travel to Paris on 23-24 May, his trip having been postponed twice.

Palace Intrigues
Denis Sassou-Nguesso, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, Félix Tshisekedi

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

CongoJetsetter Sassou off to Paris and then Moscow

GabonMahamadou Bonkoungou, indispensable backer of Oligui Nguema

DRCEmirati ambassador conducts his diplomacy outside Kinshasa

Congo
Presidential adviser Françoise Joly boosts her standing in Brazzaville

Sassou's confidant has managed to have one of her allies promoted to head of presidential protocol, much to the dismay of intelligence chief Jean-Dominique Okemba. Joly may be ruffling a few feathers, but she still enjoys the confidence of the head of state.

Congo
Cash-strapped Congo switches sanitation firms

The Lebanese operator's Congolese subsidiary, Averda, which provided waste collection services in Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire, will cease trading at the end of December. The government has already signed a contract with Turkish company Albaykar.

Congo
Sassou poised to make official visit to Kazakhstan

The Congolese president is expected in Astana at the end of July.

Congo
The securocrats accompanying Denis Sassou-Nguesso to Moscow

The 75-strong delegation accompanying the Congolese president includes the key figures in the regime's security apparatus.

Congo
Sergey Lavrov to meet Nguesso in Brazzaville

The Russian foreign minister is due in town on 3 June.

Algeria, Mali
Moscow plays go-between for Algiers and Bamako

Russia has for several weeks been acting as an intermediary between its client Algeria and its protégé Mali, whose relations are decidedly chilly.

Spotlight | Congo
Françoise Joly bestows her favours on Bayegan at expense of Masono

The Turkish oil trader Bayegan has worked its way into the good books of Sassou's international affairs adviser, whereas its rival Masono appears to have fallen out of favour.