European Union

Burkina Faso
Burkinabe junta procures arms via circuitous routes

The junta in Burkina Faso has entered into discussions with several capitals in the sub-region, including Bamako and Abidjan, in a quest to equip both the armed forces and the VDP with automatic rifles.

Palace Intrigues
Félix Tshisekedi, Denis Sassou Nguesso, Faure Gnassingbé, Alassane Ouattara

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

DRC Tshisekedi's mysteriously large salary

Congo Sassou keeps his memoirs to himself a while longer

France/Togo General Germanos' death leaves hole in team

Ivory Coast Cocody Bay's foul smells get under Ouattara's nose

Mozambique, Tanzania
Tanzanian army secures border area in Cabo Delgado

A new Tanzanian contingent took up position in the restive Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado in early December in a bid to shore up a struggling military coalition battling jihadist rebels. A Rwandan army unit was meanwhile redeployed further south to try to contain attacks by armed groups.

Eritrea
Asmara to build its first solar farm

Eritrea is planning to make up for its low national electrification rate by turning to renewable energy.

Algeria
Cevital aims to resume sugar exports to Europe

The EU ambassador to Algeria, Thomas Eckert, was recently received by Abdelkader Guemache, the CEO of Cevital. The Algerian agro-industrial leader wants to see the ban on sugar exports to Europe lifted.

Morocco
New EU visit to Rabat in midst of Moroccogate

Just three weeks after the visit of the European Union's top diplomat Josep Borrell, the European neighbourhood and enlargement commissioner, Oliver Varhelyi, is due in Rabat at a time of very strained relations between the EU and Morocco.

Kenya
Kenyatta seeks $10m for his new mediation institute

The main aim of the new entity, which bears the name of the former president, is to forge strategic partnerships and raise money for its conflict-resolution work in DRC and Ethiopia.

West Africa
Delayed EU anti-piracy cooperation presents Washington and Seoul with opening

SWAIMS, an EU project to fight piracy in the waters off West Africa, is experiencing hold-ups. Washington and Seoul are meanwhile working to counteract Chinese ambitions in the region.

Sudan
Western donors ready to resume aid and counter Russian influence

A coup in 2021 brought Sudan's economy to a standstill, putting debt negotiations on hold, freezing budget support and scaring off investors. But the country hopes that the imminent appointment of a new prime minister will turn the tide, signalling to the West that it can resume aid and return to the fray to compete with Moscow and the Gulf states.

Somalia
EU tackles Mogadishu's business climate

The EU delegation in Nairobi has set aside $2m for a contract to improve Somalia's business environment and attract foreign investors to the Horn of Africa country.

Senegal
EU immigration agency Frontex still not deployed in Dakar

In February 2022, the European Union (EU) proposed establishing its border control agency, Frontex, in Dakar. A year later, however, negotiations have still not got under way.

South Africa
South African army wants to bury probe into Cabo Delgado abuses

The regional SAMIM force, deployed in northern Mozambique, has announced an investigation after a video emerged of soldiers burning bodies of suspected insurgents. South Africa is hoping to turn the page on the incident as quickly as possible.

Mozambique
French firm Marck & Balsan kits out special forces with EU funding

French firm Marck & Balsan, led by Philippe Belin, has equipped the Mozambican army and special forces with an estimated €5m-worth of uniforms, helmets, combat boots and accessories.

Sudan
West's special envoys to meet in Khartoum

The West's special envoys for the Horn of Africa are due to meet in Khartoum in mid-February. They will discuss how they can best support the process that is supposed to lead quickly to the appointment of a prime minister and a government.