Putin wants to win Africa to his side...but African leaders are playing their own game

- Russia seeks to gain allies and expand its influence abroad, at a time when its war in Ukraine continues. On the other hand, African governments are approaching the Kremlin for their own motives.

During his hosting of the third Russian-African summit in Moscow this week, President Vladimir Putin portrayed Russia as a better partner for Africa than the West. Accusing the latter of exploiting the continent's resources, adopting a colonial approach, and using debt to impede development. Putin stressed that Russia offers a different model of cooperation that allows both parties to achieve prosperity by strengthening ties in the fields of trade and technology.

“Our companies do not practice unfair or neo-colonial exploitation of natural and human resources,” Putin said, adding that Russian companies contribute to creating local job opportunities and generating tax revenues. Delegations from 48 African countries - out of 54 countries - attended this two-day meeting.

According to Yuri Ushakov, a Kremlin aide, 22 countries were represented by heads of state, compared to 17 countries at the 2023 summit, and 43 countries at the first meeting in 2019. This prominent presence helps Moscow confront its increasing international isolation, at a time when it is suffering from the weight of Western sanctions imposed on it.

Will Brown, a specialist in African policies at the European Council on Foreign Relations, believes that images of Russian President Vladimir Putin alongside African leaders may be more important than the results agreed upon at the summit. Russian networks of influence can reuse these images to shape perceptions across Africa, and in the Global South more broadly. In a statement to the Ufoq News network, Brown said: “The ‘story’ of the summit is what is most important.”

However, African governments are not content to choose between Moscow and the West; Director of the Africa Program at Chatham House, Tegesti Amare, describes these countries’ approach as “diverse non-alignment.” That is, maintaining relationships with multiple partners rather than committing to one camp. Amari explained that the motives of these countries differ; Some of them seek security support, while others want agricultural supplies, investments in the energy sector, or diplomatic support.

Brown adds that many governments are also taking advantage of the state of international competition to enhance their options and ensure better offers from Western partners. Security relations, mixed results Russia has strengthened its influence in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, where military-led governments turned to Moscow for military support, after severing their relations with Western partners.

The Russian military role has expanded through the "African Corps"; It is a paramilitary organization that took over most of the tasks carried out by the Wagner Group before the latter's rebellion against the Kremlin in 2023. The Sahel region - the semi-arid belt south of the Sahara - is a major focus of interest.

Anna Ida Rock, a researcher at the Swedish Defense Research Agency, points out that there are reports of the presence of an “Africa Corps” in Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Mali, and Niger. There have also been reports of the presence of Russian military trainers in the Republic of Congo, Madagascar and Togo, although allegations regarding Togo remain disputed.

Moscow is also seeking to gain a naval foothold on the Red Sea, through a proposal to establish a naval facility in Sudan. The shift from the Wagner Group to the Africa Corps was not just a change in name; The new force operates openly under the umbrella of the Russian Ministry of Defense and Military Intelligence.

Although many of its members are former Wagner fighters, the Africa Corps focuses more on training, advising, and protecting strategic sites. In contrast, the Wagner Group is still active in the Central African Republic, where the government has resisted this transition.

Results vary; In Mali, Russian forces helped the government retake the city of Kidal in the northeast, but the security situation worsened, and the Africa Corps suffered heavy losses. In Burkina Faso, Russian elements focused on protecting the government in light of political instability, while their role in Niger was more limited.

In the Central African Republic, Russian forces helped keep the government in power, but insecurity remains. Although this arrangement has enabled the government to strengthen its position, many civilians do not feel any safer.