Diplomacy

Palace Intrigues
Alassane Ouattara, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Denis Sassou-Nguesso, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, Faustin-Archange Touadéra

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

West AfricaAlassane Ouattara, Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Umaro Sissoco Embaló's secret WAEMU meeting

Central African RepublicThe bitter battle for access to Touadéra

GabonPascaline Bongo calls on Sassou for support

Central African Republic
IMF denies CAR millions of dollars in aid due to Neptune Oil's continuing monopoly

The International Monetary Fund is unlikely to release its third instalment of aid, depriving Bangui of around $20m. At issue is the Cameroonian company Neptune Oil's monopoly on fuel imports and its pump prices, deemed exorbitant.

Ethiopia, Somalia
Thanks to Turkish mediation, AUSSOM might include Ethiopian troops after all

The meeting between Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on 11 December in Turkey helped to ease relations between their two countries after a year of extreme tension.

Morocco, South Africa
The diplomatic void between Rabat and Pretoria

On 15 December, South African Ambassador to Morocco, Edries Ebrahim, packed his bags to return to his home base in Pretoria after unsuccessfully attempting to improve relations with Morocco.

Kenya, South Sudan
Tricky South Sudan peace talks in Nairobi stumble on

The government and the opposition are holding firm on their positions as to the type of text that needs to be drawn up together. Civil society and Kenyan mediators are trying to defuse what is a tense stand-off.

Central Africa
CEMAC heads of state to discuss Gabon and Congo's debts

Libreville and Brazzaville have strayed from the convergence criteria of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa. The issue will be discussed at an extraordinary summit in Yaoundé next week.

Benin, Congo
Businessman Claude Dohou's star on rise among French Freemasons

He will be appointed Deputy Grand Master of the GNLF on 14 December in Paris.

Libya
Cairo, Ankara and Paris seek consensus on Libyan reunification plan

Tripartite consultations between Egypt, Turkey and France are set to be held to find a lasting political solution in Libya. The withdrawal of foreign troops will be a key issue in the discussions.