Security, Moscow's way into Africa

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AFRICA

Security, Moscow's way into Africa

Russia's influence on the continent is spreading in step with rising instability in many African countries and tensions between France and many of its former colonies. This trend is bolstered by the presence of the Russian private military contractor Wagner Group close to Vladimir Putin. Its mercenaries have intervened in Libya and Mozambique and are now offering their services in West and Central Africa. Driven by the Kremlin, Russia's security breakthrough in Africa is also backed by the defence ministry, serving Moscow's geopolitical interests, and paving the way for Russia to move into other fields on the continent.

A member of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner (left) and a UN forces soldier at an election rally for Central African Republic President Faustin-Archange Touadéra in Bangui, 12 December 2020. © André Bâ/Xinhua News Agency/Newscom/MaxPPP

TOGO Defence 13/12/2022

Togo secretly takes delivery of three Russian Mi-35 helicopters

The Togolese general staff took delivery of three Russian Mi-35 combat helicopters in early November to help it combat the armed groups threatening the country. The contract seals the military-diplomatic rapprochement begun between Togo and Russia last year.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC Defence 23/09/2022

Wagner's phantom reinforcements

It was supposed to have been one of the outcomes of the United Nations (UN) Security Council's easing of its arms embargo on the Central African Republic (CAR) on 30 July.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC Energy Commodity traders 14/07/2022

AA World Food Programme plane over Bangui in 2016.

NGOs and airlines struggle as Wagner monopolises dwindling kerosene stocks

Central African kerosene reserves have dwindled to almost nothing, and with the state having requisitioned what little remains, the UN and airlines have cancelled a raft of flights. Stocks of diesel and petrol are also starting to run low, though Bangui is expecting fresh supplies as of August.

DRC Diplomacy 05/07/2022

France, UK and US seek to block Russian ambitions in DRC

Put on alert by the turn of events in the Central African Republic and Mali, Western powers are worried about a potential rapprochement between the DRC and Russia and are hoping the UN will at least continue to enforce its arms embargo in the country.

In Focus BURKINA FASO Diplomacy 13/06/2022

A demonstrator holding a pro-Russian banner in Ouagadougou, 19 February 2022.

How religion and politics provide Moscow with a path to influence

In its efforts to gain sway in the Sahel, Russia is increasingly forging links with Burkina Faso's political and civil society circles. In so doing, it enjoys the unprecedented support of Wahhabist organisations. So far, the government has turned down Wagner's advances.

MALI Diplomacy 30/05/2022

A UN Security Council meeting on 7 April 2022, discussing the Moura massacre in Mali.

Moura massacre: the explosive UN report

The UN's OHCHR is shortly due to hand over its investigation on the killings that took place in the village of Moura in central Mali in March to the body's Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The document points the finger at Mali's Armed Forces and Russia's Wagner group, and could have repercussions on the UN's presence in Mali.

In Focus CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC CHAD Politics 30/05/2022

Rebel leader Ali Darass, head of the Union pour la paix en Centrafrique (UPC).

From Bangui to N'Djamena, the secret war of the Fula's 'defenders'

Rebel leaders Baba Laddé, Ali Darass and Hassan Bouba have proclaimed themselves defenders of the Fula, a community widely shunned within the region, in a strategy of self-defence that handily fits in with their own interests.

SpotlightCENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC CHAD SUDAN Diplomacy 14/04/2022

Left: The meeting between Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mahamat Idriss Déby on 31 March. Right: Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

Unease in Khartoum and N'Djamena as Kaka, Hemeti and Wagner dance a three-step

Domestic political agendas are in the process of remodelling the regional balance of power between Sudan and Chad while, in the neighbouring Central African Republic, the role of Wagner, which is an ally of Sudan but hostile to Chad, is raising questions.

MALI Defence Diplomacy 14/03/2022

Faced with Wagner, the EU sets out conditions for staying in Mali

In a letter sent to Mali's foreign minister on 9 March, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell made the continuation of EU operations in Mali conditional on a strict separation from the activities of the Russian mercenary firm Wagner.

SpotlightLIBYA Diplomacy 09/02/2022

Moscow prepares major Tripoli comeback

Russia, a long-time supporter of eastern strongman Khalifa Haftar, wants to clinch its rapprochement with the "transitional" authorities in Tripoli. The idea is to curtail US influence, get prepositioned in the oil game, and preserve military gains.

ALGERIA MALI Diplomacy 03/02/2022

Malian foreign minister Abdoulaye Diop (left) with his Algerian counterpart Ramtane Lamamra, Algiers, 6 January 2022.

Algerian meddling in Bamako infuriates ECOWAS

The involvement of Algerian diplomats in the Malian crisis has become increasingly irritating for ECOWAS. Moreover, several of its member countries consider that Algiers has encouraged the deployment of Russia's Wagner paramilitaries there.

EUROPEAN UNION MALI Diplomacy 21/01/2022

The Malian file was also raised during the gathering of the 27 European defence ministers in Brest on 12 and 13 January

As Wagner arrives, EU prepares sanctions but keeps channels open with junta

Following the lead of ECOWAS, the EU is gearing up to impose sanctions on the regime in Bamako, which has postponed the presidential election and welcomed Russian paramilitaries from Wagner onto Malian soil. The EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell is due to hold a virtual meeting with the foreign ministers of the G5 Sahel countries on 26 January to discuss the situation in Mali.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC Diplomacy 24/12/2021

Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov with President Vladimir Putin.

Moscow appoints new envoy as Wagner reorganises its mercenaries

Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov is about to appoint a new ambassador to Bangui after six months of dithering. The Russian paramilitary group Wagner is meanwhile reorganising itself in the Central African Republic under the leadership of Yevgeny Prigozhin and Dimitri Utkin, who have both been in Bangui in recent months.

SpotlightMALI Diplomacy 22/12/2021

Wagner and junta close to deal to deploy 500 paramilitaries across Mali

The Malian junta and the Russian paramilitary company Wagner are close to an agreement that would provide for the deployment of 500 men in about ten localities. France, bitterly opposed to the arrival of Russian mercenaries, is due to hold a defence council on Mali at the Elysée on 22 December.

SpotlightAFRICA Diplomacy 17/12/2021

Russia's president Vladimir Putin stands next to Egypt's president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and South African president Cyril Ramaphosa during the Africa-Russia summit 2019 in Sochi.

Russia opts for Saint Petersburg as summit venue in face of African squabbling

The rivalries among African nations have prompted Moscow to give up on the idea of holding the Africa-Russia gathering on the African continent and go with Saint Petersburg instead in November 2022.

SAHEL Diplomacy 15/12/2021

French president Emmanuel Macron during his previous visit to Mali in May 2017.

Macron to talk Wagner and elections in Bamako

The French president will visit Bamako from 20 to 21 December. In the Malian capital, he will meet interim president Assimi Goita for the first time to discuss the ongoing talks between his junta and the Russian paramilitary group Wagner.

ALGERIA FRANCE SAHEL Diplomacy 07/12/2021

Macron and Tebboune quietly mend their fences

The French president spoke at length with his Algerian counterpart in late November. The two leaders agreed to gradually ease the tensions between them over the next few months. Meanwhile Paris and Algiers have resumed discussions of the Sahel.

MOZAMBIQUE RUSSIA Diplomacy 02/12/2021

Moscow remains involved in Cabo Delgado despite Wagner's exit Free

As the US attempts to restore ties with the Mozambican army, Russia's deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov has offered Maputo Moscow's help in training the country's soldiers. Despite the official withdrawal of the paramilitaries from Wagner in 2020, Russian soldiers have never completely vacated Mozambican soil.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC Politics 02/12/2021

Central African livestock minister Hassan Bouba in February 2021.

Touadéra and Moscow protect warlord Hassan Bouba from international justice

By targeting one of the emblematic figures of the Central African Republic conflict - livestock minister and former rebel leader Hassan Bouba - the Bangui special criminal court has thrown a spanner into an already uneasy mix of peace deals, jittery financial backers and Russian mercenaries.

In Focus AFRICA RUSSIA Diplomacy 29/11/2021

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Russia.

Patriarch Kirill, the pugnacious emissary of Russian diplomacy in Africa

The Putin-friendly patriarch of Moscow severed ties with the Orthodox Church of Ukraine when Russia invaded Ukraine's Donbass region and the impact of this break-up is now rippling across Africa, where the head of the Russian Orthodox Church is trying, again in step with Moscow, to outstrip the Patriarch of Alexandria.

MALI Diplomacy 23/11/2021

Mahamat Déby flies to Bamako on mission to stop Wagner

Chad's interim leader, who is also the current head of the G5 Sahel of which Mali is a member, is expected in Bamako by the end of the month. He hopes to dissuade coup leader Assimi Goita and the Malian junta from hiring the Russian paramilitary company Wagner.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC Diplomacy 12/11/2021

Security Council's tense talks on renewing MINUSCA mandate

The UN Security Council is renewing MINSUCA's mandate on Friday. The discussions began in October and have been strained, as Moscow has sought to ease the arms embargo on the Central African Republic. Relations between Bangui and the UN mission remain tense.

WEST AFRICA Mining 11/11/2021

Australian miners wary of Russian forays into West Africa

The Australian mining and petroleum community in West Africa is keeping a close eye on the growing Russian influence in the region.

SAHEL SPAIN Defence Diplomacy 11/11/2021

Madrid continues to equip Malian gendarmes despite tensions over Wagner

Although EU relations with Mali have been strained by the junta's decision to cosy up to Moscow, Madrid is going ahead with its programme to equip gendarmes in Mali and elsewhere in the Sahel.

FRANCE MALI RUSSIA Diplomacy 03/11/2021

Emmanuel Macron receives Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, at the Palace of Versailles.

Macron and Putin play game of bluff over Wagner in Mali

As negotiations between the Malian junta and Wagner step up a notch, Paris is making last-ditch efforts to prevent the arrival of Russian paramilitaries in Bamako. Emmanuel Macron gave Vladimir Putin a stern warning during a phone call last month.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC Diplomacy 28/10/2021

Alexander Ivanov (centre, holding a document), representative of Wagner instructors in the Central African Republic, was received at the Central African National Assembly on 15 October 2021.

Wagner's parallel diplomacy embarrasses Moscow

Active in the military and media fields, the private security firm Wagner has been courting publicity in a way that is jarring with the reserve of Russian diplomats in recent weeks and the messages coming out of official channels in Moscow.

SpotlightCENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC RUSSIA Diplomacy 19/10/2021

Moscow-Bangui relations hit rough patch

Relations between Russia and the Central African Republic remain strong, yet they've grown tense in recent weeks. Moscow, deprived of its official representatives in the country, is now working in the dark.

EUROPEAN UNION FRANCE MALI Diplomacy 18/10/2021

Paris secretly prepared to slap sanctions on military junta

As relations between Bamako and Paris continue to sour, France wants the EU to slap sanctions on several Malian officials seen to be rocking the boat ahead of next year's presidential poll. Meanwhile, ECOWAS is considering similar punitive measures.

MALI Defence Diplomacy 06/10/2021

French foreign minister Yves Le Drian at the UN General Assembly on 23 September.

From Washington to Algiers, Paris manoeuvres behind the scenes to keep Wagner out of Mali

Discreetly but insistently, France is working with its Western and African partners to prevent the junta going into partnership with Russian paramilitary group Wagner. Meanwhile, ECOWAS, egged on by Macron, is considering slapping sanctions on Mali's new leaders.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC FRANCE Diplomacy 04/10/2021

Central African President Faustin Archange Touadéra at the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on 21 September 2021.

Touadéra wants to reengage with Paris

Worried about the spectacular demise of Central African Republic's diplomatic relations with France, the head of state is seeking fresh communication channels. After a first attempt at mediation in Kinshasa, he is considering appointing a new ambassador to France.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC RUSSIA Defence Diplomacy 02/09/2021

Central African Republic prime minister Henri-Marie Dondra.

PM Dondra keeps Wagner at arm's length

Since his appointment in June as Central African Republic's new prime minister Henri-Marie Dondra has not been using the services of the private Russian military group Wagner for his personal guard, as had his predecessor Firmin Ngrebada.

SpotlightAFRICA Business 27/07/2021

Washington targets Wagner group coordinator Yevgeny Prigozhin's 'air force'

The US intelligence services have asked several African governments for help in halting the movements of private jets belonging to Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin. A close associate of Vladimir Putin, he is a key figure in the Wagner group and has been targeted by US sanctions.

In Focus CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC Business 26/07/2021

The then Prime Minister of the Central African Republic, Firmin Ngrebada (centre), salutes his troops as a Russian-made support helicopter flies overhead on the road between Boali and Bangui on 10 January 2021.

Bolloré, TotalEnergies and Air France held hostage in Franco-Russian power struggle

As France downgrades its relations with the Central African Republic (CAR), which it sees as too much under Russian influence, the authorities there are exerting pressure on French companies still active in the country.

MOZAMBIQUE RUSSIA Mining Business Diplomacy 19/07/2021

Russian miners play a part in Moscow's humanitarian diplomacy

As it struggles to establish robust cooperation with southern African countries, despite Moscow's historical ties with the region, Russia is relying heavily on the networks and finances of locally based miners.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC RUSSIA Mining 14/07/2021

Ndassima gold mine near Djoubissi, north of Bambari, Central African Republic.

Bangui sparks fears of Russian hand in planned diamond trade nationalisation

The Central African Republic is preparing to overhaul its mining legislation. At the heart of the long-awaited reform is the creation of a controversial entity in control of all buying and selling of precious stones.

SpotlightLIBYA Politics 13/07/2021

Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres.

Guterres lobbies for the UN to take charge of militias' disarmament

The United Nations is seeking to take direct control of the disarmament of militias and the withdrawal of foreign forces away from the Libyan transitional government. Meanwhile the country's legislative and presidential elections scheduled for December 24 this year look more undermined than ever.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC Diplomacy 12/07/2021

Weapons embargo sparks tension within UN Security Council

The UN Security Council intends to extend the weapons embargo against the CAR at the end of this month. While France, the UK,and the US are in favour of extending, Russia is threatening to use its veto power.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC Diplomacy 29/06/2021

As Russian influence grows, EU mulls aid suspension, following Paris's lead

As Russian paramilitary group Wagner continues to extend its influence in the Central African Republic, the European Union is considering suspending payment of an upcoming €30m tranche of budget aid to the government.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC RUSSIA Business 10/06/2021

CAR Prime Minister Firmin Ngrebada at the Saint Petersburg Economic Forum, 3 June 2021.

PM Ngrebada flies in style aboard Prigozhin's jet

Despite Western concerns over Russia's growing influence in Bangui, the Central African leader had no qualms about taking the private jet of the oligarch Yevgeni Prigozhin to the recent Saint Petersburg business forum.

LIBYA Diplomacy 03/06/2021

London to step up pressure on Russian and Turkish paramilitary outfits to withdraw from Libya

The British Foreign Office is planning to organise a major conference on the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) of armed groups active in Libya.

CHAD RUSSIA Diplomacy 18/05/2021

Russian President Vladimir Putin at the 2019 Russia-Africa summit.

Transition spells opportunity for Russia in N'Djamena

On top of its involvement in Libya and the Central African Republic, Russia could be tempted to muscle in on the Chadian scene via the transition, a prospect that worries France given the anti-French messages that have cropped up in recent protests in the capital.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC FRANCE Diplomacy 05/05/2021

Central African President Faustin-Archange Touadéra and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the 2019 Russia-Africa summit in Sochi.

Russia's presence further widens wedge in Paris-Bangui axis

Cuts to French aid, a freeze on military cooperation... relations between Paris and Bangui continue to cool. France suspects several of Touadéra's close advisors of waging anti-French campaigns while Russia is not far from the picture.

LIBYA Defence Diplomacy 09/04/2021

Re-opening of EU delegation tied to foreign troop withdrawal

The European Union has announced its intention to re-open its delegation in Tripoli. But the form that this takes depends on Turkey and Russia's response to the American and European insistence that foreign troops leave Libyan territory.

MOZAMBIQUE RUSSIA Diplomacy 07/04/2021

Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi in Russia in August 2019.

Moscow seeks to boost contacts with Nyusi

Russia's ambassador in Maputo, Alexander Surikov, has been making discreet approaches to the Mozambican administration in a bid to revive economic and security cooperation between the two countries.

EUROPEAN UNION RUSSIA SADC Diplomacy 05/03/2021

Russia and the EU square off over influence in Gaborone

To cope with the growing international interest in the Southern African Development Community, where Russia has been building on Soviet-era ties, Vladimir Putin pulled out the big guns by appointing his main Africa expert, Andrey Kemarskiy, to the embassy in Gaborone.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC RUSSIA Defence Business 24/12/2020

Wagner sets up air bridge as armed groups threaten Touadéra ahead of poll

Russian private security firm Wagner has stepped up equipment deliveries to CAR's armed forces over recent days, using a range of large cargo plane brokers. The logistics escalation comes as rebels threaten the 27 December presidential poll.

SpotlightLIBYA RUSSIA Defence Diplomacy 20/08/2020

The Sharara oil field, near the town of Ubar. Wagner has a detachment located three kilometers away from this strategic production asset, held by militias that have pledged allegiance to Haftar.

Russian paramilitary group Wagner expands southern Libyan presence

Since the beginning of July, Wagner Group personnel have been beefing up Russia's presence in southwestern Libya, a few kilometres from oil fields held by militias affiliated with General Khalifa Haftar.

LIBYA Politics 10/06/2020

Tripoli wants to trade for end of Russian support to Haftar

Fayez Sarraj's Government of National Accord is trying to play the economic card to have General Khalifa Haftar's foreign backers make a full retreat.

MOZAMBIQUE Defence Diplomacy 28/02/2020

Cabo Delgado, an international battlefield?

Soldiers from the Russian paramilitary company ChVK Wagner who arrived in September 2019 left Cabo Delgado taking their equipment with

UGANDA Defence Business 27/12/2019

Wagner pitches up in Kampala

According to our sources, Yoweri Museveni has retained the services

SpotlightLIBYA Defence Politics 03/10/2019

Khalifa Haftar has no Russian base but gets an airlift

Khalifa Haftar's inability to conclude his offensive on Tripoli has incited his Russian ally to strengthen its logistical and military support for him. The Watiya air base has in no way come under Russian control, contrary to claims from some

RWANDA Politics 13/02/2019

Moscow and Kigali reinforce military ties

First it was the Central African Republic (CAR) and Congo-K, and now Russia is pursuing its expansionist policy in Burundi

SpotlightLIBYA Business 31/01/2019

Russia's Wagner group offers to help Khalifa Haftar in the Fezzan

In addition to the diplomatic support given him by Moscow, Khalifa Haftar also receives less public Russian aid via military services company ChVK Wagner. The company, which is in the private sector but under the authority of the Kremlin, is

SUDAN Business 11/01/2019

Wagner bolsters Bashir's security in Khartoum

With protests intensifying against the regime of Omar al-Bashir, the

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC RUSSIA 18/07/2018

Moscow sets its sights on the gold and diamonds

The Central Africans have begun extraction operations at several alluvial diamond sites located between Boda and Gadzi, not far from

SpotlightCENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC RUSSIA Politics 09/05/2018

Putin bets on Bangui to realise his expansionist dreams in Africa

In addition to the very conspicuous agents of Spetsnaz, the special forces responsible for President Faustin Archange Touadera's personal security and for the protection of his private residences and of ministerial buildings in Bangui, Russian operatives are in the process

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Wagner's phantom reinforcements

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France, UK and US seek to block Russian ambitions in DRC

How religion and politics provide Moscow with a path to influence

Moura massacre: the explosive UN report

From Bangui to N'Djamena, the secret war of the Fula's 'defenders'

Unease in Khartoum and N'Djamena as Kaka, Hemeti and Wagner dance a three-step

Faced with Wagner, the EU sets out conditions for staying in Mali

Moscow prepares major Tripoli comeback

Algerian meddling in Bamako infuriates ECOWAS

As Wagner arrives, EU prepares sanctions but keeps channels open with junta

Moscow appoints new envoy as Wagner reorganises its mercenaries

Wagner and junta close to deal to deploy 500 paramilitaries across Mali

Russia opts for Saint Petersburg as summit venue in face of African squabbling

Macron to talk Wagner and elections in Bamako

Macron and Tebboune quietly mend their fences

Moscow remains involved in Cabo Delgado despite Wagner's exit Free

Touadéra and Moscow protect warlord Hassan Bouba from international justice

Patriarch Kirill, the pugnacious emissary of Russian diplomacy in Africa

Mahamat Déby flies to Bamako on mission to stop Wagner

Security Council's tense talks on renewing MINUSCA mandate

Australian miners wary of Russian forays into West Africa

Madrid continues to equip Malian gendarmes despite tensions over Wagner

Macron and Putin play game of bluff over Wagner in Mali

Wagner's parallel diplomacy embarrasses Moscow

Moscow-Bangui relations hit rough patch

Paris secretly prepared to slap sanctions on military junta

From Washington to Algiers, Paris manoeuvres behind the scenes to keep Wagner out of Mali

Touadéra wants to reengage with Paris

PM Dondra keeps Wagner at arm's length

Washington targets Wagner group coordinator Yevgeny Prigozhin's 'air force'

Bolloré, TotalEnergies and Air France held hostage in Franco-Russian power struggle

Russian miners play a part in Moscow's humanitarian diplomacy

Bangui sparks fears of Russian hand in planned diamond trade nationalisation

Guterres lobbies for the UN to take charge of militias' disarmament

Weapons embargo sparks tension within UN Security Council

As Russian influence grows, EU mulls aid suspension, following Paris's lead

PM Ngrebada flies in style aboard Prigozhin's jet

London to step up pressure on Russian and Turkish paramilitary outfits to withdraw from Libya

Transition spells opportunity for Russia in N'Djamena

Russia's presence further widens wedge in Paris-Bangui axis

Re-opening of EU delegation tied to foreign troop withdrawal

Moscow seeks to boost contacts with Nyusi

Russia and the EU square off over influence in Gaborone

Wagner sets up air bridge as armed groups threaten Touadéra ahead of poll

Russian paramilitary group Wagner expands southern Libyan presence

Tripoli wants to trade for end of Russian support to Haftar

Cabo Delgado, an international battlefield?

Wagner pitches up in Kampala

Khalifa Haftar has no Russian base but gets an airlift

Moscow and Kigali reinforce military ties

Russia's Wagner group offers to help Khalifa Haftar in the Fezzan

Wagner bolsters Bashir's security in Khartoum

Moscow sets its sights on the gold and diamonds

Putin bets on Bangui to realise his expansionist dreams in Africa

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