Moscow’s activities in Africa: weapons for raw materials

Russia has greatly expanded its ties to the African continent in recent years. The commitment has economic reasons – but should also open up new political alliances for the Kremlin.

It was a clear voice from the African continent: even before Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Kenya’s ambassador to the United Nations took a stand. Martin Kimani alluded to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s speech when he based his claims on Ukraine on history.

Africa has learned to put an end to the past, even though the continent was arbitrarily divided up during the colonial era, said the Kenyan. “We chose to live within the limits and grow together in other ways, rather than looking at history with a dangerous nostalgia.”

Many states do not oppose Putin

Even if the ambassador swept some conflicts under the carpet, he was celebrated for his statements at home. Kimani courageously rebuked Putin, headlined an Internet newspaper.

Kenya was also one of the countries that took a clear stance against Russia’s invasion at the UN General Assembly. However, a total of 17 African countries abstained from the vote, including the continent’s closest allies, Sudan, Mali and the Central African Republic. Little Eritrea demonstratively backed Russia.

New interest after Crimea annexation

Putin has intensified relations with Africa, especially in recent years, says the director of a Kenyan think tank, Hassan Khannenje. “The crisis after the annexation of Crimea made it necessary for Moscow to look for new partners,” he explains. “Because of the sanctions from Europe, people looked to Africa. On the one hand, because the continent was developing rapidly economically. On the other hand, because support could be mobilized within the United Nations.”

Economic relations were expanded. Two and a half years ago, Putin invited to the Russia-Africa summit on the Black Sea. Many agreements that were initiated there can be summarized under the heading “Weapons against raw materials”. “Russia is the continent’s largest arms supplier,” says Khanneje. “Almost half of the imports come from there.” That makes many countries dependent. “Russian weapons are cheaper, and above all the military in African countries are already used to using them.”

Russian mercenaries as a Trojan horse

A special role is also played by the Wagner squad – Russian mercenaries active in several African countries. In the Central African Republic, the government stays in power with their support, even if the actions of the force are kept secret, says Enrica Picco, program director of the International Crisis Group in Central Africa. “Nobody knows how many Russian mercenaries are in the country,” she says. “It could be around 1,500. At the same time, there are around 12,000 soldiers from international peacekeeping forces who have failed to provide security since 2014.”

The Wagner Troupe is Putin’s Trojan horse, which he uses to secure Russia’s presence on the continent. Thanks to the mercenaries, he can exploit conflicts like those in the Central African Republic or Mali without being officially involved.