But in Brazzaville – under Denis Sassou-Nguesso's authoritarian sway for all but five of the past 43 years – it will be harder to escape echoes of old françafrique complicity while Congo-Kinshasa's President Félix Tshisekedi is sure to push for more assertive French condemnation of Rwandan support for the M23 rebels threatening Goma...

Beya's associates have been waiting to see if his old friend Congo-Brazzaville's President Denis Sassou-Nguesso would try to save him...

Denis Christel took up his first ministerial post when his father President Denis Sassou-Nguesso appointed him to run the newly created ministry of international cooperation and public-private partnerships...

The use of political show trials to exclude her and Aïvo from public life is reminiscent of the 20-year jail term imposed on former army general Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko in Congo-Brazzaville after he stood against Denis Sassou-Nguesso (AC Dispatches 22/3/21 Death of opposition leader Kolélas overshadows Sassou's latest coronation)...

BGFI was a creation of two presidents: Omar Bongo of Gabon – who died in 2009 his son Ali Ben Bongo taking his place – and Denis Sassou-Nguesso of neighbouring Congo-B...

There Denis Sassou-Nguesso seized power in 1979 and has stayed in charge apart from a 1992-97 interregnum and civil war...

These include Congo-Brazzaville's Denis Sassou-Nguesso Kenya's Uhuru Kenyatta and Gabon's Ali Ben Bongo...

AOGC had long been tied to Denis Gokana oil advisor to Congo-B President Denis Sassou-Nguesso and then head of the national oil company (AC Vol 50 No 21 Brazzaville counts on France and the IMF)...

But President Denis Sassou-Nguesso's decision to name his son as international cooperation minister in charge of relations with donors and the private sector will do nothing to change the country's reputation as a kleptocracy par excellence...