Russian Africa Corps mercenaries incorporate Madagascar into their expansion across the continent (english.elpais.com)
from Sepia@mander.xyz to world@lemmy.world on 25 Jan 10:18
https://mander.xyz/post/46170174

crosspostato da: mander.xyz/post/46170171

A Russian delegation of approximately 40 members, headed by General Andrei Averianov, head of the Africa Corps militia, met in late December with Madagascar’s interim president, Colonel Michael Randrianirina. During the meeting, Russia offered personal protection to the Malagasy leader, who has repeatedly stated that he feels threatened. In this way, Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to add Madagascar to the growing list of African countries under his direct influence, following the same pattern of protection and military cooperation in exchange for access to resources.

This list already includes the Central African Republic (CAR), Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Libya, and Equatorial Guinea, among others.

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General Averianov’s trip to Madagascar was not his only visit to Africa in recent weeks. Last November, the head of Africa Corps — the new mercenary group created after the death of Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin — traveled to Equatorial Guinea, where his men have been operating since August 2024 in both Malabo and Bata, supporting the dictatorial regime of Teodoro Obiang.

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For Russia, it’s about resources, but also about breaking the political and economic isolation that the West has sought to impose since the 2014 annexation of Crimea, an isolation that intensified following the war in Ukraine. For African military or dictatorial regimes that are severing ties with Europe, such as those in the Sahel, military cooperation with Moscow is a very viable alternative. But they are not alone. The Africa-Russia summits in Sochi in 2019 and St. Petersburg in 2023 saw virtually all African leaders eager to forge new ties with Moscow in attendance. A third of the weapons Africa buys come from Russia, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, with Egypt and Algeria being the main destinations, but also Angola, Mali, Nigeria, and Sudan.

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