{"id":12242,"date":"2026-10-29T08:37:16","date_gmt":"2026-10-29T08:37:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=12242"},"modified":"2026-10-29T08:37:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-29T08:37:16","slug":"economic-incentives-are-limited-what-does-russia-really-offer-africa-military","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=12242","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Economic incentives are limited\u2019: What does Russia really offer Africa? | Military"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>3 Minute, 21 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>


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In 2019, I travelled to Berengo Palace, outside Bangui, to interview Russian mercenaries.<\/p>\n

Once the home of Jean-Bedel Bokassa, the Central African Republic\u2019s self-crowned emperor, it was now occupied by fighters from the Wagner Group. One of the first things they told me was not about the country they had come to defend, but the country they had left.<\/p>\n

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Recommended Stories <\/h2>\n

list of 3 items<\/span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n

A man named Vladimir shook my hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cRussia is back in Africa,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Seven years later, Wagner\u2019s founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, is dead.<\/p>\n

In the Sahel, Wagner has given way to Africa Corps, controlled by Russia\u2019s Ministry of Defence. Moscow is fighting a war in Ukraine, where Africans have been recruited, some under false pretences. An investigation by Journalists for Justice documented 502 African deaths by June 2026.<\/p>\n

In Douala, Cameroon, I met Mama Regina, her eyes bloodshot as she held back tears. Her son Moses had gone to Russia to fight. His portrait hung on the wall.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo handsome,\u201d she whispered. Like so many families, she is waiting for his body. Once again, Africans are mourning men lost in someone else\u2019s war on another continent far away from home.<\/p>\n

In grief, some have turned to a small but growing Russian Orthodox church. Its Cameroonian pastor was trained in St Petersburg. He says he is here to preach the \u201cgood news\u201d.<\/p>\n

Russia-Africa Summit<\/h2>\n

African leaders are gathering in Moscow for the Russia-Africa Summit<\/a>. In 2019, 43 African heads of state or government attended the first summit in Sochi.<\/p>\n

In St Petersburg in 2023, after Russia invaded Ukraine, only 17 heads of state came. Putin offered free grain to six African countries, which Russia later delivered. This year, the Kremlin expects delegations from 48 countries, including 22 heads of state.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe economic incentives to go for the Russia summit are much more limited,\u201d says Beverly Ochieng, a Dakar-based analyst.<\/p>\n

Compared with United States-Africa and China-Africa summits, she says, Moscow offers fewer large investment commitments.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe political incentives for attending are the primary reasons why these countries are there.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the military governments of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, Russia offers something more immediate: Support to remain in power.<\/p>\n

France was pushed out; Russia stepped in. Yet armed groups continue to attack, and Human Rights Watch has accused Africa Corps forces in Mali of killing civilians and torturing detainees.<\/p>\n

The Soviet Union trained generations of African officers, politicians and students during decolonisation.<\/p>\n

Ochieng learned Russian at the embassy in Kenya. Moscow, she says, can still play the card of \u201cwe didn\u2019t colonise you.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Russia is facing Western sanctions and looking for economic opportunities in its relationship with African nations.<\/p>\n

In Mali, construction has begun on a gold refinery backed by Russia\u2019s Yadran Group; the Malian state holds a 62-percent stake. In Guinea, Russian aluminium giant Rusal operates bauxite mines and an alumina plant. In Niger, Rosatom subsidiaries are discussing uranium projects with the government, after the takeover of a mine formerly operated by France\u2019s Orano. A separate attempt to sell existing uranium stockpiles remains in dispute.<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, Putin said Russia\u2019s aim was not to \u201csteal something from Africa\u201d but to \u201cdevelop together\u201d.<\/p>\n

Russia\u2019s trade with Africa was about $28bn in 2025, compared with China\u2019s $348bn. The European Union exchanged nearly 355 billion euros ($395bn) in goods with Africa in 2024.<\/p>\n

Sergey Eledinov, a former Russian officer and security analyst, sees a trap in Russia\u2019s military bargain in Africa. By securing governments, Moscow may give them room to look elsewhere. \u201cSurvival doesn\u2019t create loyalty,\u201d he says. \u201cIt creates options.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ochieng also cautions against mistaking Russian flags at demonstrations for widespread support. They do not mean \u201call Africans are just sitting around being pro-Russia,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

For Moscow, she says, the summit is a chance to demonstrate its continued \u201cpolitical relevance\u201d, even if the West increasingly regards it as a pariah state.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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In 2019, I travelled to Berengo Palace, outside Bangui, to interview Russian mercenaries. Once the home of Jean-Bedel Bokassa, the Central African Republic\u2019s self-crowned emperor, it was now occupied by fighters from the Wagner Group. One of the first things they told me was not about the country they had come to defend, but the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12243,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_templately_pack_id":"","_templately_imported_at":"","_templately_source":"","_templately_import_session_id":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-international-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t