Russia in Africa, Putin-Wagner-African Countries
The axis shift in Africa can be observed quite clearly recently. Russia’s influence on the continent is increasing day by day, and its relations with African countries are improving day by day. So why? What actions do the Russians have in Africa? What is the real aim of the Russians? Why are Russians trying to disrupt the affairs of European states in Africa? Why are Russians in Africa? In this article, I will try to answer what Russia and Russia’s paramilitary force, the organization called Wagner, are doing in Africa.
First of all, it is necessary to start from the history of Russians on the African continent. The first Russian actions on the continent were the USSR’s support of activists fighting against the Apartheid regime in South Africa. The USSR supported anti-imperialist actions on the continent and also provided support to socialist insurgents, including socialist activists in Zimbabwe and Angola. With the collapse of the USSR, these relations stopped and there was no development until October 2019.
The first Russian-African summit was held in Sochi in October 2019 and the Russian presence on the continent became active again. At this summit, the interests and demands of African countries and Russia were determined, and the second summit was planned to be held in St. Petersburg in July 2023. So what did Russia aim for with this summit? The Russians first tried to reach the Mediterranean and the Red Sea and to have a say in the region. In this context, they wanted to establish a naval base in the Sudanese port. They did a lot of work to gain reputation and sympathy in the region. Since some of these things were done legally and some illegally, Russia used and continues to use the organization called Wagner in order to be careful and not attract too much attention.
So what is Wagner? What is its function? According to some, Wagner is Putin’s private mercenary group, and according to others, it is just a security company. Of course, the first option seems more acceptable. Wagner is a paramilitary organization used by the Russian state in many areas and whose main purpose is to serve Russia. They are responsible for effectively protecting Russia’s interests not only in Africa but also in Ukraine and Syria. The Wagner Group provides security services in the Central African Republic, Libya and Mali. According to the Europeans, this is not just a simple security service. European sources talk about Wagner’s role in precious metal smuggling in Africa. It is a fact that Wagner provides security and political consultancy services to the rulers of African countries in return for the right to extract and trade some natural resources, and they play a very active role in 10 African countries. D.Congo, Sudan, Libya, Madagascar, Angola, Guinea. The Wagner group is also quite crowded and active in Gine Bisseau, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and the Central African Republic. Russia is not only acting as Wagner, but it is also increasing its presence in Africa through legal means.
Russians supply weapons to more than 20 countries, especially North African countries, and also provide military technical cooperation services to more than 40 countries. Russian aid is active not only in the military field but also in the economic field. For example, the Russians provided significant fertilizer aid to Malawi, and it was announced that grain would be donated to 6 states. Russia announced that it canceled the 23 billion dollar debt of African states to itself and announced that it would give free grain to Mali and Burkina Faso. Russia declared that Somalia had canceled its 684 million debt and that he would take action to end poverty in Africa.
So why did Russia start doing all this so quickly? Why are the Russians doing all this?
Russia is active in Africa entirely to weaken the West and find a new area of expansion for itself. Russia’s expulsion from the European market with the invasion of Ukraine led to a greater penetration into the African market. Russians are using an anti-colonialist discourse to separate Africa from the West and include it in the Eastern bloc. Anti-colonial and anti-imperialist discourses find supporters all over the continent because the countries on the continent still have to endure the painful consequences of slavery and colonialism. Russia, which makes good use of this troubled experience in Africa, is trying to reduce the French influence in the region by producing policies, especially through France. Putin, who has half the support of the countries in the region, refers to the French history in Africa almost every time he comes up with a topic and points out that the region is no longer the same. Russia seems particularly keen to support rebellions in former French colonies, and they have very visibly supported rebellions in Mali and Western Faso. The fact that people took to the streets with Russian flags after the coup in Niger is a positive result of these policies (on behalf of Russia)
The fact that the majority of African countries remain neutral in the Ukraine crisis, that is, they do not clearly stand on the western side, reveals the extent to which the Russian influence on the continent has increased. Russia mostly supports politicians that the public does not like and produces leaders who are indebted to it, and the main argument of these leaders is anti-westernism. In this way, Russia, both leaders and supporters, becomes stronger in the region. Significant success has been achieved with this policy, and this is also the reason for Russia’s rapid growth on the continent. They are trying to eliminate the negative atmosphere in Africa caused by withdrawing from the European market and being left alone. The aim is to disconnect Africa from the West and to grow economically. The reason why Africans are positive towards Russia is that western countries have a wild past on the continent, and since Russians do not have a bad history on the African continent, Africans view Russians with sympathy. In this context, Russian Cultural Centers were opened in eight countries on the continent, 17 thousand African students were sent to Russia and 100 thousand people were educated. Russian education was given. All this has grown and continues to grow Russian-African cooperation.
Africans are aware of Russian ambitions on the continent, but it is possible to say that they are currently on the side of Russia regarding the West or Russia. Of course, it will not be possible to immediately erase the traces of the West on the continent, but it is quite clear that there will be a very effective Russian influence on the continent under Putin’s leadership.
