By Africa Links 24
Published on 2024-02-07 12:48:04
President Vladimir Putin is on a mission to re-claim and re-establish the lost glory that Russia enjoyed under the former Soviet Empire during the Cold War. However, this is a different Russia altogether. While some argue that the Soviet Union ethos was noble in its cause to create a level playing field for all through communism, the Russian Federation under Putin is using Soviet-era sentiment to offer a completely different proposition.
In his quest for geopolitical influence and grandeur, Putin is determined to ally himself with Africa as a hero, and the Russian Federation as a savior. In his mind, Africa represents a region that is not only geo-strategically important but is full of potential in the grand scheme of global power politics. Putin is pushing to not only compete with but also surpass the historical influence that China and the United States of America have enjoyed on the continent.
However, despite the inroads that Russia may have made within the African continent, during the United Nations General Assembly Resolution ES‑11/1 in 2022, that condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, 19 African countries supported the resolution while only 1 country opposed. 17 African countries led by South Africa abstained from voting in a resolution that was overwhelmingly supported by 143 countries. This shows that Russia has an uphill task in gaining allies within the continent.
The second Russian Africa Summit that was held in July 2023 in St Petersburg provided a platform for Putin to pitch his Russian agenda and endear himself to African leadership. The forum’s agenda focused on themes like Food Security, Promotion of a Multipolar world, Debt Relief, and the need to restore relationships that had waned over time. The summit’s reduced African attendance from 43 countries in 2019 to 27 in 2023 indicates Africa’s conundrum in aligning with Russia.
Food security remains a huge factor in global geopolitics, especially in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent Russian invasion of Ukraine. The war on Ukraine disrupted global food chains, affecting Africa directly as Ukraine’s grain exports dropped by over twenty-nine percent. To cultivate loyalty within the continent, Putin pledged to supply grains to vulnerable food-insecure African nations. In line with promises made during the Russia-Africa Summit, Russia dispatched free grain shipments to Burkina Faso and Somalia totaling 200,000 tons, with a further promise to dispatch more to Mali, Eritrea, Central African Republic (CAR), and Zimbabwe.
Putin aims to present an alternative influential voice to engage with Africa on global issues by championing the BRICS agenda. Russia’s influence in BRICS, a body comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, can be viewed in the context of Russia endearing itself to the continent.
Russia has expanded its military presence in Africa, providing arms sales and military training to several African countries. In 2022, Russia overtook Beijing as Africa’s largest supplier of weapons and military hardware in the Sub Saharan region. Furthermore, the political instability in certain African countries created an opportunity for Russian officials from the Ministry of Defense to visit these countries, with Putin seizing an opportunity to entrench Russia’s influence in what might lead to a new form of ‘Russian neo-colonialism” on the continent.
Putin has set his sights on Africa’s energy reserves, with Russian companies investing in oil and gas exploration and production in countries such as Nigeria, Angola, and Algeria. This has the potential of creating a dependency syndrome that will ultimately disadvantage the continent, replacing the old colonial masters with a new albeit subtle one.
Russia’s use of Private military and security companies, particularly the Wagner Group or Africa Corps, has shown nothing but destruction and human rights abuses evident in countries like the Central African Republic and Mali. It is clear that Putin and the Russian Federation are pulling the strings, exploiting and taking advantage of some of Africa’s most fragile democracies.
Putin is on a mission, and Africa is one of the stones he will use as he attempts to position himself as a global leader and re-establish Russia as a global powerhouse. While Russia’s renewed interests in Africa may have garnered some support, it is apparent that there are still challenges in gaining allies and influencing the continent.
