DRC

Last chance saloon for AU commissioner posts

The sub-region is at last set to put forward the joint candidates to take up its two vacant commissioner positions at the African Union. The names submitted up until now have all been thrown out by the Panel of Eminent Africans committee.

Tshisekedi seeks to strengthen Entreprise Générale du Cobalt's monopoly

The Congolese president, eager to clean up the small-scale cobalt sector, brought together the key stakeholders in mid-June. The goal was to speed up the growth of the Gécamines subsidiary, which is responsible for structuring a market still largely informal.

Spotlight
Sale of Musonoï East mining site to Abu Dhabi meets uncertainty

The DR Congo president has insisted that Gécamines go back on its decision to terminate its collaboration with South African Robert Gumede for the development of the Musonoï mining project. Owned by the Congolese state company, this deposit is on a list of assets that had recently been proposed to Abu Dhabi.

The army dishes out deals to India's defence industry players

Since the beginning of the year, several Indian suppliers of military equipment have been in regular contact with Congolese military staff. These talks are helping to fuel the emergence of a security partnership between the two countries.

Army adds Turkish Bayraktar drones to its arsenal

The FARDC have taken delivery in recent weeks of four new Turkish-made attack drones, Bayraktar TB2s.

Mysterious arms broker held for months by military intelligence in Kinshasa

The Congolese deputy prime minister in charge of defence is seeking the return of an $18m deposit paid out in an arms contract that was never honoured. The Lebanon-born businessman Dani al-Achkar has been held incommunicado since April.

Kinshasa orders Kigali to share Lake Kivu geological findings

The Congolese government has instructed a Parisian law firm to order Rwanda to provide it with geological exploration findings from the lake shared by the DRC and Rwanda.

The New Guard
Ivory Coast, Nigeria, DRC

Every Wednesday, Africa Intelligence spotlights a new generation of movers and shakers in business and politics.

Ivory CoastArthur Banga, the security expert whispering in the ears of military staff

NigeriaArabinrin Aderonke Ogunleye-Bello, a decisive woman of multiple talents

DRCCorneille Kabanga, the quiet go-between for Chinese giant CNMC

Washington resumes crackdown on suspected Hezbollah financiers

The Congolese finance minister held meetings with several US officials to discuss the sensitive issue of Lebanese businessmen operating in the country and suspected of financing the Shiite Islamist organisation.

Tensions mount over Trump's roadmap to end war in the east

The US president is aiming for the swift signing of agreements with Kinshasa and Kigali to bring peace in the DRC. But behind the scenes, negotiations are stalling on several points.

US billionaire Erik Prince's firm hiring former French soldiers for security contract

A mysterious recruiter is touring the networks of former French servicemen, particularly from the elite French Foreign Legion, to offer them a project in the DRC.

Audit of BEAC's contentious recruitment process ready for regional ministers

The audit report on the recruitment process for the Bank of Central African States will be forwarded to the ministers of the Central African Monetary Union. It was launched to resolve the crisis that has been linked to suspected irregularities since 2022.