‘Confrontation looks inevitable’: How Russia’s influence is growing in Africa

Several crises have helped create fertile ground for Moscow’s increasing influence

Malians demonstrate against France and in support of Russia on the 60th anniversary of the independence (AP)

As the world focuses upon Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, a second front is developing, one which threatens the future of Europe’s energy security and stands to limit the west’s global reach.

For at least the last decade, Russian influence, both hard and soft, has been extending through Africa, with Moscow typically trading security for resources as it extends its hold on capitals across the continent.

Like much of the world, Africa has fallen victim to the rising cost of living, with the attack dogs of poverty, inflation and public expectation snapping at the heels of governments whose capacity to deal with them remains mixed. All the while, the last vestiges of the pandemic continue to dog an exhausted population.