The Ever Expanding Russian Influence in Central Africa

By Scott Morgan

When it comes to special operations in Central Africa (initiated by the Russians) most thoughts, and conversations, focus on the operations conducted within the Central African Republic over the last two years as either a point of contention or outright fear in some Capitals. But once again history is repeating in Africa.

There have been allegations that after the 2016 Presidential Elections, in the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), the incumbent President Soussou-Nguesso reportedly hired a Russian Private Military Company to put down the unrest in the vital town of Pointe Noir caused by the controversial polls. There was virtually no coverage of the influence in this election.

It should be noted that when President Soussou-Nguesso was President for the first time, Brazzaville was considered an ally of what was then the Soviet Union.

Also, when it comes to Russian Operations in Central Africa, even though it is not considered being part of Central Africa, the role of Sudan cannot be ignored. Khartoum has been used as a transit and logistics hub for its Operations in CAR. The recent Change of leadership in Sudan will have an impact on Russian Operations in Central Africa. Russia was one of the countries coaching the Military in how to react during the final days of the Bashir regime. It would be wonderful if this dynamic was looked into.

For the near future it should be taken as a fait accompli that whatever projects are launched in the region by the Kremlin it will have some form of presence in Sudan.

Another aspect that has been proven interesting regarding Russian Activities in the region is their media coverage of the Putin Government's (and allies') efforts to manipulate that same coverage. One needs to recall the incident where four journalists for a Russian Opposition news site were ambushed and killed in the Central African Republic. That only occurs when a party wants an activity to be shielded from public view and scrutiny.

Another action taken by the Russians, to spin events into their worldview, is the deals to provide content to some African Media Outlets by either Sputnik or RT (Russia Today). A perfect example are the deals reached with RTNC (National Radio and Television Corporation) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. RT was the first entity to reach a deal with the Congolese in November 2018; and Sputnik later on reached a similar deal in May of 2019. This effort in the DRC has been a success for Moscow.

When Russia celebrated the fifth anniversary of the annexation of the Crimea , one of the largest events was actually held in Kinshasa.

Another tactic used by Russia: the ties between the Duma and local legislatures on the ground. Once again, the topic focuses on the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There is already a Russia-DRC Friendship Group in the DRC Parliament. This is a simple and easy way for Russia to promote its agenda in Africa, and it can be done in such a way that most other powers (having interests in the region) such as the former colonial powers of France and Belgium - and even the United States - could find themselves left on the outside without realizing what they allowed the whole thing to Happen. Indeed, events took place without their ability to properly address the situation.

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