Russian, French and American leaders are travelling across Africa to win backing for their positions on the war in Ukraine. William Gumede, director of the governance foundation Democracy Works, said it was like a new Cold War playing out in Africa, with rival sides trying to gain influence.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and French President Emmanuel Macron are each visiting several African countries this week. Samantha Power, head of the US Agency for International Development, went to Kenya and Somalia last week. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the UN, is due in Ghana and Uganda next week.
In countries where many people are suffering drought and hunger, Lavrov has blamed the West for rising food prices. Western leaders have accused the Kremlin of using food as a weapon and of waging an imperial-style war of conquest, language aimed at audiences in post-colonial Africa.
Under President Vladimir Putin, Russia has spent several years rebuilding ties that date back about half a century, when the Soviet Union backed African movements seeking an end to colonial rule. Gumede said that campaign has now gone into high gear.
At the UN in March, 28 African nations voted to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A significant minority, 25 countries, abstained or did not vote.
Lavrov visited Egypt, Congo, Uganda and Ethiopia this week, pledging friendship and accusing the United States and European countries of driving up food prices with what he called reckless environmental policies and of hoarding food during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Addis Ababa he said the situation in Ukraine had further hurt food markets because of the West’s inadequate reaction and sanctions, and he denied that this was due to what he called the Russian special operation. He also backed reform of the UN Security Council to give African countries permanent seats and greater influence.
In Uganda, President Yoweri Museveni received him warmly. Museveni, a long-standing US ally who has held power for three decades, has refused to criticise Russia over the invasion and, at the outbreak of the war, suggested Putin’s actions might be understandable because Ukraine lies in Russia’s sphere of influence. Appearing with Lavrov, he spoke of old ties with Russia and asked how he could reject Moscow while keeping good relations with countries that took part in slavery. Ugandan analyst Asuman Bisiika called Uganda the centre of gravity in East Africa and an obvious partner for Moscow. Museveni, 77, has worn a mask in public since the COVID-19 outbreak, but he greeted Lavrov without one in front of photographers and wore a mask again at his next public appearance a day later.
Russia is also seeking African audiences through RT, formerly Russia Today, which has announced a new bureau in Johannesburg. In March, RT was removed from Multichoice, the Johannesburg-based platform that is Africa’s largest pay-TV service and claims nearly 22 million subscribers on the continent, after the European Union and Britain imposed sanctions on Russia. It is unclear whether the new bureau will allow RT to return to Multichoice. Anton Harber, a journalism professor at the University of the Witwatersrand, said Russia’s aim is to be heard in Africa for long-term political influence and UN votes, and that it sees the continent as fertile ground.