by KESTER KENN KLOMEGAH
At the first ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership
Forum in the southern coastal city of Sochi, seeking to deepen political
and business ties with African countries, Russian President Vladimir
Putin in his message and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in his powerful
speech underlined Russia’s security support to fight terrorism and
extremism across Africa.
As Russia has expressed readiness to provide security it signed documents on military cooperation with African countries, according to media reports emerging from the first Russia-Africa ministerial conference held on 9-10 November 2024.
Setting long-term security alliances
In his message, Vladimir Putin reaffirmed the continuity in providing comprehensive assistance to African partners across a wide range of sectors. This includes supporting sustainable development, combating terrorism and extremism in Africa.
On his side, Lavrov also stressed the determination to intensify cooperation in the fight against terrorism and address other new security challenges in Africa, according to a statement on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website.
“We confirm readiness to establish a permanent Russian-African dialogue mechanism at the highest level, which will contribute to building peace, stability and security, as well as coordinating efforts to combat terrorism and extremism, address environmental problems, as well as issues related to food and information security,” the document posted on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website said.
Russia’s military assistance will be in exchange for full access to raw materials and exploiting natural resources, training military specialists and supply of military equipment and weaponry. Russia’s relations with Africa have been strengthening in multifaceted directions over the past few years. Its influence has grown too significantly as authorities demonstrated steps to help Africa struggle against western dominance especially in the emerging multipolarity architecture in this present world.
It is not a hidden fact that Russia earns revenue by increasing exports, including military equipment and weaponry to Africa. It exports grains, oil and gas. And therefore, several agreements signed would allow Russia to have a full access to exploring natural resources in exchange for its military assistance, as these African countries face financial difficulties. Russia has signed bilateral military-technical cooperation agreements with more than 20 African countries.
Challenges arising from security alliances
Given the persistent complex nature of conflicts in Africa and within the local conditions, the African Union Security Commission, Regional Organizations and related specialized security agencies, after exhaustively review and discussions during high meeting, offered strong recommendations.
In the past, African leaders, for example, AUC Moussa Faki Mahamat, South African Cyril Ramaphosa, Rwandan Paul Kagame shared the same position with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, that dealing with existing conflicts and disputes on the continent, it is necessary to mobilize collective efforts to resolve them and “must be confined to this continent and quarantined from the contamination of non-African interference.”
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and other leaders, at the 36th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) held in Addis Ababa, further highlighted their opinions and perspectives which have been related to the backyard by the Francophones. Developments in these conflict-infested countries have negatively been affected, with millions of people displaced and ultimately pushed into abject poverty.
Until today, Africa’s peace-building processes have remarkably been complicated by external forces, largely imposing their aspirations to exploit natural resources and, to a greater extent, influencing internal policies which shape the future directions in those countries. In the long-run, Africa’s illusive dream of unity makes the future uncertain.
Defeating terrorism through multilateral cooperation
Inter Press Service for more