According to analysts, the Russian Ministry of Defense wants to take over the functions of the Wagner PMC in Africa; the Russian President calls for the fight against Western neo-colonialism on the Dark Continent.
About a month before death Founder of the Wagner PMC Evgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin at the Russia-Africa summit once again accused Western countries of neocolonialism and the desire to impose their order on the world. Will Russia’s plans for the African continent change after Prigozhin’s death? Yann St. Pierre from the Eastern Circles think tank says:
“Prigozhin was essentially the executive director, which means that the organization operates independently of him and all of its infrastructure, for which Africa is a key component in terms of financing, money laundering and other factors. So all the infrastructure is still in place “.
Pauline Bax of the International Crisis Group states:
“The Russian military leadership, from the Deputy Minister of Defense to representatives of military intelligence, visited some of these countries. In particular, the Central African Republic, Mali. There were contacts with the leaders of Burkina Faso. The leaders of these countries were made clear that the Russian Ministry of Defense would absorb or take control PMC “Wagner”.
By 2022, Russia will overtake China as the main arms supplier in Africa. But Moscow accounts for less than 1% of foreign direct investment on the continent. Are the goals of the Russian Federation during the period of coups d’etat purely geopolitical? Pauline Bax explains:
“A lot of what Russia and Wagner have done in the last two years has been, to put it bluntly, giving the middle finger to France. I think France was the main target. Russia has targeted former French colonies in Africa. And “It worked surprisingly well. But the Russian Federation is not really investing. It is not providing development assistance, it is not providing humanitarian assistance.”
Yann St. Pierre from Circles think tank adds:
“The fact is that Russia is ready to support young people in these countries, their dynamics in terms of noting: they say, we support what you are doing, and we will not condemn you, even if you violate human rights. It’s there “What Russia does well is provide an alternative to what Western countries are offering or have been offering over the past few decades.”
Russia, weakening the influence of the West in Africa, receives support that it lacks in the international arena. African countries have 54 votes in the UN General Assembly, making them one of the strongest regional blocs.
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