While Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is certain to dominate an upcoming NATO summit in Madrid, Spain and other member nations are quietly pushing the Western alliance to consider how mercenaries aligned with Russian President Vladimir Putin are spreading Moscow’s influence to Africa. But there appears to be a consensus among NATO members heading into the Madrid summit that while Russia remains concern No. French President Emmanuel Macron has long called for a “greater involvement” from NATO in the Sahel region. The Italian ambassador to NATO, Francesco Maria Talo, said in a May interview with Italian news agency ANSA that humanitarian crises in Africa must concern all NATO allies. The foreign minister of Mauritania, a former French colony in West Africa, is also invited to attend a working dinner of fellow foreign ministers at the NATO summit.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 27, 2022 16:29 UTC