The battle for the hearts and minds of Africa is ongoing. Fervently behind this movement for the rescrambling of our continent are two contrasting forces, namely, US-led Western imperialists on one hand and the Sino-Russian anti-imperialists coalition on the other. Last week, I mentioned, rather fleetingly, in my column titled, “Balarabe Musa, Xi Jinping and us,” the magnetic pull and growing influence of both China and Russia on the continent as part of the sizzling geopolitical changes gripping the world today. We are now witnessing a mighty struggle on political, economic, cultural and military scale being carried out for the control of African lands, resources and people.
The fact that the Eurasian alliance is presently gaining momentum in the current struggle has jolted the United States and her Western allies.
Here’s why the West is upset about Russia’s growing influence on the continent.
In December 2022, at a press conference on the eve of a US-Africa Summit forum, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin claimed that the growing influence of Russia and China in Africa could destabilize the region. Backing loud statements with action, the United States promised to allocate $55 billion to African countries.
Indeed, at the beginning of 2023, the United States conducted joint military exercises with 32 African countries in the Atlantic Ocean. There were also reports of US plans for a military base in Morocco, which would be used to limit the influence of Russia and China in Africa.
In March, the United States openly called on African countries to limit partnership with Russia, tying this to the conflict in Ukraine. “Our goal, frankly, is to make very clear to these countries, from an economic standpoint, that your economic interests are aligned with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ending as soon as possible,” Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said. In her turn, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen already traveled to Senegal, Zambia, and South Africa in January.
Washington’s contacts with Africa are not limited to officials from the Department of Treasury.
The US Vice President Kamala Harris is currently on tour of Africa. She was in Ghana this week where her comments on LGBT rights had attracted criticism from the Ghana Establishment.
The West African nation intends to pass its family values act which would make same-sex intercourse a second-degree felony, punishable by three to five years in prison, and those promoting activities banned under the bill facing 5-10 years behind bars.
The Speaker of the Ghanaian Parliament Alban Bagbin said they will pass the bill regardless of what the United States says, criticizing the remarks by US vice president as “undemocratic pressure.”
His words:“These things should not be tolerated. That is undemocratic! What is democracy? That somebody else would have to dictate to me, as to what is good and what is bad? Unheard of!” Bagbin said on Tuesday, in a meeting with legislators to discuss the proposed bill, titled ‘Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values’.
In a joint press conference with President Nana Akufo-Addo on Monday, Harris did not directly address the bill, but said LGBT rights were “an issue that we consider to be a human rights issue, and that will not change.”
Last week, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters at the White House that LGBT rights were “something that’s a core part of our foreign policy, and it will remain so.”
Bagbin told the Ghanaian lawmakers that they “need to legislate” and should not fear outside pressure. “Don’t be intimidated by any person,” he said. “What are you afraid of, if you have the whole people behind you? If God is with you, who can be against you?”
Last week, the parliament in Uganda approved a law that made “aggravated homosexuality” punishable by death, and “recruitment, promotion and funding” of homosexual “activities” with up to life in prison.
The US is on a charm offensive to lure African nations culturally towards pushing the pro-gay rights agenda. Vice President Harris is also expected in Zambia and Tanzania to drill home the campaign. In February, the US First Lady Jill Biden herself paid a diplomatic visit to Namibia and Kenya. The series of US visits is scheduled to continue.
Culturally, both Russia and China are staunchly anti-LGBT and Moscow in particular has passed a law criminalizing that antisocial behaviour.
The US–Africa Summit was to lure African leaders into joining the Western side. But the renewed fight for Africa may already be lost considering the expanding presence of Russia and China in the region.
According to the Special Representative of the President of Russia for the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, “the United States and its allies are waging an unprecedented campaign to politically and economically isolate Russia, and also disrupt the second Russia-Africa Summit in St. Petersburg this July.”
Incidentally, Bogdanov mentioned not just the US, but also its partners since another country has been very active (even if less successfully) in Africa lately – France.
In early March, French President Emmanuel Macron visited four Central African states during a week-long tour: Gabon, Angola, the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). During the trip, he stated that the “Françafrique” era, which supposed the informal guardianship of Paris over its former colonies, is now over and has given way to a new harmonious partnership.
According to Macron, this new partnership implies a “noticeable reduction” of French military personnel in Africa, the reorganization of military bases, and a new model of military cooperation. However, these statements look a lot more like the inevitable acceptance of reality than a gesture of free will.
In recent years, Paris has decided to withdraw troops from the Central African Republic (CAR), Mali, and Burkina Faso. The decision was preceded not only by mass anti-French demonstrations by the local population, but also by Russia’s growing ties with these states.
The most striking example of French failure is the Central African Republic. France took home its troops only in December last year. For many years, Paris used various means, including military, to intervene in the country’s national politics by supporting or removing its presidents. When in 2012, civil war broke out between the government and insurgents, peacekeepers from France and other EU countries unsuccessfully tried to end the conflict. In 2018, CAR authorities turned to Russia for help and signed an agreement on military cooperation.
Moscow supplied the republic with ammunition, trained the local military, and gradually increased the number of military instructors in the country. Less than a year after Russia intervened, the authorities managed to negotiate a truce with several local groups. CAR authorities later expressed gratitude to Russia for its role in the peacemaking process.
The success of Russian weapons and diplomacy was converted into economic benefits. In 2020, Russian companies were given permission to mine gold and diamonds in the Central African Republic. Not long ago, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Central African Republic, Sylvie Baipo-Temon, openly stated that the “mistakes of France” cleared the path for Russia.
Events in Mali played out in a similar manner. At the request of the local authorities, French troops had been fighting Muslim insurgents since 2013. But the situation only got worse over time. Finally, the leaders of the military junta requested Russian assistance in fighting the insurgents. As a result, Russian military instructors trained the local army and helped fight the militants.
In general, France is losing its military and diplomatic presence in Africa. Mali expelled the French ambassador in early 2022, and by August, French troops were withdrawn to neighboring Niger.
Russia’s growing influence highlights the evolving relationships on the world’s fastest-growing continent [Africa],” the newspaper reports. The authors claim that Moscow can count on Africa, which has long been the playground of the great world powers, to support it at the global level and particularly at the United Nations.
Incidentally, compared to the West, Russia is a lot more restrained in assessing its prospects in Africa. Moscow’s increasing military presence is not a solid enough foundation for successful Russian-African relations. Russia needs more than just a military presence. It needs to establish large-scale joint cultural and economic projects with African countries, which, as of now, do not exist. The anti-Western imperialists agenda is once again dominant in Africa. It has gained supporters everywhere, but it must be mentioned that Africa’s current sympathy for Russia is mainly rooted in anti-Western sentiments. It is not suggesting the notion that Africans want somebody else to replace the United States, France or Britain. Africa wants more fair play and opportunities not replacing one behemoth with another.
