Africa Matters

Inside the hidden war between Russia and France as they jostle for control in Africa

Wagner Group mercenaries have launched an “informational war” in Africa, fighting against democracy by stoking anti-Western sentiment sweeping across some of the poorest nations in the world, experts have warned. The result could be catastrophic, both domestically and abroad, with a seismic uptick in violence causing the death of thousands and a potential mass migration to Europe, including, eventually,…

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Russia-Africa summit 2023, an overview

ST Petersburg, Russia’s Imperial capital, hosted the second summit and Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum last week attracting heads of state and government from many African countries. That marked the second time that events of such a magnitude with a focus on a wide range of relations between Russia and African countries have been held. The Forum and Summit…

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Russia respects Africa’s peace initiatives on Ukraine, says Putin

“Africa is ready to help solve problems that seem to be outside the zone of its primary interests,” the Russian leader pointed out Russia respects and carefully considers the peace initiatives of African countries on the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. “We respect your (African leaders’ – TASS) initiatives and carefully consider them,” he…

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Putin and Zelenskyy agree to meet with ‘African leaders peace mission’–South Africa president

CAPE TOWN, South Africa—Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have agreed to separate meetings with a delegation of leaders from six African countries to discuss a possible plan to end the war in Ukraine, South Africa’s president said Tuesday. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said he spoke with Putin and Zelenskyy by phone over the weekend…

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China is Uniting Middle East—That’s Bad News for U.S.

A diplomatic deal in the Middle East was notable as much for a breakthrough between Saudi Arabia and Iran as it was for the absence of American input. Story by Brendan Cole The March 10 agreement between the regional rivals to imminently reopen embassies after a seven-year hiatus was brokered in secret by China. It raised questions over whether…

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