Russia’s Return to Africa as a Geopolitical Player
Background
Russia’s recent engagement with Africa has raised concerns among Western countries, especially in light of its ongoing war against Ukraine. Russia’s interaction with African nations revolves around three principles: searching for economic partnerships, acquiring geopolitical leverage, and promoting a multipolar world order.
A Shared Vision for a Multipolar World
The promotion of a multipolar world order is especially relevant in bringing Russia and Africa together. Developing countries like those in Africa feel that they have not been represented or respected enough in the unipolar world led by the US. African countries and Russia tend to share a normative vision of a multipolar world where neglected African nations have a voice, and powers like Russia have a seat at the table.
During the 2019 Russia-Africa summit in Sochi, Vladimir Putin expressed his support for this multipolar world order, stating that African states are gaining political and economic weight and are taking an increasingly important part in working out international community’s decisions.
Africa’s Reaction to Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
During the March 2022 UN General Assembly vote on the resolution condemning Russia’s attack on Ukraine, 28 African countries voted in favor of the resolution, while 81.29% of non-African countries voted in favor. 10 African states voted in favor of suspending Russia’s membership in the Human Rights Council in April 2022.
While African countries support Ukraine’s territorial integrity, they do not want to join the sanctions policy. They perceive sanctions as an instrument of US unipolarity that has violated UN norms on sovereignty, territorial integrity, and use of force.
Engaging with Africa
Engaging with all 54 African states or the AU symbolizes Russia’s vision of a multipolar world. During Sergey Lavrov’s visit to Africa, he went to Ethiopia and met representatives of AU member states. Lavrov took a jab at US unipolarity and its liberal interventionist approach, portraying Western military interventions as negative manifestations of a unipolar world, including in Yugoslavia, Iraq, and Libya.
Moscow’s cooperation with rogue states ruled by regimes with poor relations with the West is also a potent way of challenging the notion of Western-led order and promoting the principle of non-interference in a country’s internal affairs.
Business as Usual?
Despite the indictment raised against Putin by the International Criminal Court, Africa’s and the Global South’s reluctance to join Western sanctions against Russia demonstrates a degree of complementarity in the desire of the two sides to demand a change of world order that both Russian and Africans do not perceive as being in line with their interests.
Recent events, such as the Wagner mercenary group continuing operations in Mali and the Central African Republic despite its leader’s aborted insurrection, suggest that Russia’s engagement with Africa will continue.
