Russia-Africa summit to strengthen ties

Russia is hosting a major summit for dozens of African leaders this week, an indication of its growing role as a key player in the region.

The Soviet Union used to have a major presence on the continent but its economic and political clout waned in the post-Cold-War period.

President Vladimir Putin says the strengthening of ties with African countries is one of Russia’s foreign policy priorities.

So just how important is Russia’s role in Africa now?

It’s clear Moscow sees its presence in Africa in very broad terms, building on ties from Soviet times.

In an interview with the Russian Tass state news agency in advance of this week’s summit, President Putin said: “Russian-African relations are on the up.”

Russia has been boosting its political contacts in the region, with 12 African heads of state visiting Moscow since 2015 – six of them in 2018 alone.

And its ambitions have prompted some concern in key Western powers they are being outplayed by Moscow.

Last year, former US National Security adviser John Bolton announced a new US strategy for Africa, partly aimed at countering both China and Russia.

However, a recent editorial in the Washington Post talked of Russia “aggressively seeking deals and security relationships” while US influence in the continent continued to decline.

Russia is an important defence partner for Africa and the major supplier of arms to the region.

But Africa is not its biggest defence market – that’s in Asia.

Between 2014-18, the African continent – excluding Egypt – accounted for 17 per cent of Russia’s major arms exports, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

Of those 17 per cent, most went to Algeria with the others worth less than 3 per cent of total exports.

So, in terms of volume, defence exports to sub-Saharan states are small.

However, defence relationships are growing – and since 2014, military co-operation agreements have been signed with 19 African countries.

In 2017-18, Russia had weapons deals with Angola, Nigeria, Sudan, Mali, Burkina Faso and Equatorial Guinea.

These included fighter jets, combat and transport helicopters, anti-tank missiles and engines for fighter planes.

Russia’s military and security ties extend beyond arms exports and sometimes involve the use of private mercenary groups. -BBC