On a far more public level, Putin met with the heads of 17 African states at a summit in St. Petersburg in July, a month after the rebellion. “It was just a very vivid demonstration of Putin’s blatant disregard for the real priorities in Africa -- a sobering realization that to Russia, Africa is just a pawn in its broader geostrategic interests,” he said. “Russia has very little to offer” African nations, Anku said. But Russia does share a deep grievance with a number of African nations about what they see or portray as an unfair, Western-led world order. During those visits, the United States announced aid and investments in Africa running into the billions of dollars.

Source: The North Africa Journal December 29, 2023 21:05 UTC