Russia woos African leaders at Moscow summit

Russia will host almost two dozen African leaders in Moscow on Wednesday and Thursday, seeking to further buttress ties with countries it sees as “natural allies” against the West.

The Russia-Africa summit, the third since 2019, comes as Moscow grapples with heavy Western sanctions over its Ukraine offensive and as it provides security assistance to several African governments.

Moscow has courted ties with Africa since the Soviet era, and has long looked to the continent as a counterweight to what it sees as Western domination over international affairs.

“We are natural allies in building a multipolar world order,” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said of the summit, referring to a system where political power is no longer concentrated in the West but among multiple regions.

Delegations from 48 African countries are scheduled to take part and 22 will be represented by their leaders, Ushakov said.

Russian president Vladimir Putin’s criticism of what he calls “neocolonialism” on the continent has resonated with a number of African leaders, especially former French colonies in the Sahel.

Among the leaders Putin is scheduled to meet is Malian counterpart Assimi Goita, whose government is using Russian paramilitaries to battle a jihadist offensive.

Mali’s ruling junta, which came to power in two successive coups in 2020 and 2021, has turned away from former colonial ruler France and moved closer to Russia.

There will also be plenary sessions where “all heads of delegations will have the opportunity to speak,” Ushakov said.

DRC-Rwanda tensions

The summit comes amid tensions between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, both of which are sending delegations.

DR Congo president Felix Tshisekedi will attend, while Rwanda will be represented by prime minister Justin Nsengiyumva.

The Rwandan-backed M23 movement has seized swathes of the eastern DRC since taking up arms again in 2021.

Despite a US-brokered truce in December, fighting has continued to flare.

Thirty-three documents will be signed at the summit, some of which will cover economic cooperation, according to the Kremlin.

Russia, which welcomes thousands of African students to its universities every year, will also seek to strengthen its diplomatic presence in Africa.

Russia counts some 48 embassies on the continent, and there are plans to open a 49th in Liberia, according to the Kremlin.

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