Vol 65 No 7 | NIGERUNITED STATESIRANRUSSIA General Tiani swaps the US for Russia 27th March 2024 Annulling its defence agreements with Washington, the Niamey junta strengthens ties with Moscow and Tehran Severing military ties with the United States on 16 March, three months after France closed its embassy in Niamey, General Abdourahamane Tiani's Conseil national pour la sauvegarde...
Vol 64 No 25 | RUSSIAAFRICA Gold to Moscow 14th December 2023 Central African Republic, Sudan and Mali are the most lucrative African states for Russia's Wagner Group, according to the 'Blood Gold' report published this week by a consortium o...
Vol 64 No 23 | RUSSIAAFRICA Wagner pays cash for digital influence 16th November 2023 A leak from the Russian group's propaganda arm reveals payments for videos by West African bloggers and influencers on social media platforms The Wagner Group has been paying West African social and digital media influencers and broadcasters for videos and blogs attacking France and supporting Russian narratives on the U... READ FOR FREE
Vol 64 No 19 | RUSSIAAFRICA Kremlin ponders its post-Wagner options 21st September 2023 Moscow must dispose of the remnants of its most famous mercenary outfit and has some hard choices to make The crash of Yevgeny Prigozhin's jet on 25 August was both expected and full of surprises. It was expected because no one believed President Vladimir Putin would do business as usu... READ FOR FREE
DISPATCHES Vol 64 No 16 | RUSSIAAFRICA Kremlin promises grain supplies ahead of St Petersburg summit 25th July 2023 Moscow's withdrawal from the Black Sea accord which facilitated supplies of Ukraine's grain angered African officials Russia's war on Ukraine will haunt its Africa summit in St Petersburg due to open on 27 July – due both to its withdrawal from the Black Sea grain pact which had shielded som... READ FOR FREE
Vol 64 No 14 | CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLICRUSSIAFRANCE Macron makes a U-turn on autocracy 5th July 2023 France has dropped objections to presidential assaults on democracy in a return of Cold War-style geopolitics designed to exclude Russia President Emmanuel Macron is leading an international effort, including Rwanda and the UN – with growing United States support – to lift the pressure on President Faust...
Vol 64 No 14 | LIBYARUSSIA All quiet on the Wagner front 6th July 2023 The Kremlin's mercenaries are still key to Khalifa Haftar's military strength but he has no interest in stirring up yet more trouble The current hiatus in Libya's civil war means any effects on the Wagner Group's Libyan operations from the crisis in Russia would have been hard to spot. The mercenaries remain the...
Vol 64 No 14 | RUSSIAAFRICA Prigozhin tests Putin with an African putsch 26th June 2023 Russia's mercenary chief was following Hemeti's playbook in Sudan – but his loss of nerve may have repercussions across Africa As Wagner's putsch led by mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin unfolded in Russia on 23-24 June, many in Africa saw strong parallels with the bid for power launched by General Mohame...
Vol 64 No 13 | SOUTH AFRICARUSSIAUKRAINE Kyiv and Moscow give peace mission short shrift 21st June 2023 After days of awkward and unproductive diplomacy, the economic consequences of the war will worsen for Africa – starting with the collapse of the grain deal The African peace mission to Ukraine and Russia has exposed the chasm between the two countries – with Kyiv insisting on Russian withdrawal from its territory and Moscow insi...
DISPATCHES Vol 64 No 13 | RUSSIAUKRAINEAFRICA Security row overshadows diplomatic outreach 21st June 2023 The ill-fated peace mission to Kyiv and Moscow could set the tone for the Africa summit in St Petersburg in July The African peace mission to Ukraine and Russia did not recover from a diplomatic row with Poland last Friday (16 June) after a delegation of guards and the media was stopped in Wa... READ FOR FREE
