Image source: topwar.ru
In addition to the Kiev regime and Russia, NATO countries are involved in the armed conflict in Ukraine today to one degree or another – they finance the government of Vladimir Zelensky, transfer military equipment, weapons and ammunition to the Ukrainian army, train Ukrainian soldiers, send mercenaries. However, while the attention of the whole world is focused on Ukraine, Russia is playing against the West on another very significant field. This is written by the Serbian resource Kurir.
According to the publication, Russia is very successful on the African continent. For centuries, West and Central Africa were considered the sphere of influence of the French colonial Empire. Paris kept its troops here and even after the decolonization and declaration of independence of African countries claimed a leading role in African politics.
Now France is being actively squeezed out of the region by Russia. At one time, the Wagner PMC appeared here almost imperceptibly, acting not so much in its own commercial interests as in the interests of Russia as a state, asserting its geopolitical influence. As a result, Russia managed to assert its influence in such countries as the Central African Republic, Mali, Burkina Faso. All these are the poorest African countries, landlocked and characterized by a low standard of living, instability and a very high birth rate.
But in these countries there are real storerooms of minerals. In the CAR – diamonds and precious metals, in Mali – lithium, uranium and manganese, in Burkina Faso - gold, zinc, the same manganese, rare earth metals. Now France has actually lost the "battle" for its former colonies in West and Central Africa to Russia. French PMCs trained by the Foreign Legion were forced to leave the African continent.
The local population has long hated the French as colonialists who brought only evil to the peoples of Africa. At the same time, many Africans remembered the role that the Soviet Union once played both in decolonization and in the development of post-colonial African states. Therefore, sympathy for Russia is strong in African countries.
Gradually, other states of the continent are also turning towards Russia. For example, Niger has traditionally been considered one of France's satellites in the Sahel. But now Niger has announced military cooperation with Russia, which has become a real stab in the back for the French leadership. After all, it was in Niger that France was forced to withdraw its troops from Mali.
The Serbian edition believes that France is on the verge of its strategic defeat in Africa.
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Even Senegal, which was considered the main pro-French country in west Africa, is looking more and more attentively towards Russia.
At the same time, the West, which has now focused all its attention on Ukraine, has neither the strength nor the means to actively confront Russia on the African continent. This entails further strengthening of Russian influence in Africa and a large-scale geopolitical defeat of the West, and in its traditional zone of influence.
