Malawi and Zambia, just like other Southern African Development Community (Sadc) countries, have spoken out about the relationship with Russia amid rising concerns that it is ‘a double-edged sword’.
This comes against the background of the global landscape shift, where Russia is rekindling its relationship with Africa by forging a partnership, which analysts feel promises mutual benefits.
Diplomatic and international relations experts interviewed have come out clean, saying from energy and infrastructure to security and trade, Moscow is making strategic inroads, reasserting its influence on the continent. However, this partnership is considered transactional.
Russia’s renewed Focus on Africa, Malawi in particular
Russia’s interest in Africa is not new. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union supported African independence movements and maintained strong ties. However, after the Soviet collapse, Russia’s presence waned. Now, under President Vladimir Putin, Russia is rediscovering Africa’s potential.
However, critics say Russia’s aim is to expand its global influence, access valuable natural resources, and challenge Western dominance, and Africa’s vast resources, including gold, diamonds, uranium, and oil, are particularly attractive, hence their existence in Africa.
Undule Mwakasungula, a renowned human rights campaigner is of the view that Malawi likewise other African countries should continue to have government to government meetings.
“I don’t believe that Russia is rubber stamping support to us. That is a Western propaganda against Russia. Remember both have interests in Africa. The West has failed and exploited Africa, so why not Russia or China as an alternative for Africa development,” he says.
He adds that Russia’s involvement in Africa is beneficial to the best interest of Malawians or Africa. “Russia’s primary goal is to expand its influence and challenge Western dominance and neo colonialism by supporting African development,” Mwakasungula adds.
In agreement, Zambia’s opposition member of Parliament for Mufulira Central, Golden Mwila, says Russia’s relationship with African countries can only be necessary if it is mutually beneficial, further warning African countries to be cautious as they engage with European country.
Moscow pursues a combination of military, diplomatic, and economic interests in Africa.
Over the years, Russia’s involvement in African affairs includes the supply of arms and equipment to African countries and seeks military bases. Some of this has been done through mercenary group Wagner, now called the Africa Corps.
Militarily, Russia mostly focuses on weapons trade, but it is also seeking to expand its operational footprint, including by signing agreements for new military bases. Diplomatically, Russia’s overarching goal is to gain more support for its vision of a multipolar world order MPWO, based on weakened Western influence. At the United Nations, it lobbies African allies for favourable votes on issues such as the Ukraine conflict.
Attempts to seek African support
Experts say that Moscow looks to Africa to show that Russia is not an international pariah, despite ongoing Western sanctions against it. Speaking at what was dubbed the “BRICS Plus” session, which included countries that are considering joining the bloc, Putin accused the West of trying to stem the growing power of the Global South with “illegal unilateral sanctions, blatant protectionism, manipulation of currency and stock markets, and relentless foreign influence ostensibly promoting democracy, human rights, and the climate change agenda.”
“Such perverse methods and approaches, to put it bluntly, lead to the emergence of new conflicts and the aggravation of old disagreements,” Putin said. “One example of this is Ukraine, which is being used to create critical threats to Russia’s security, while ignoring our vital interests, our just concerns, and the infringement of the rights of Russian-speaking people.”
Conflict came up repeatedly at the meeting, which saw the first visit to Russia from United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in more than two years and drew an angry reaction from Kyiv. Guterres called for “a just peace” in Ukraine, in line with the U.N. Charter, international law and General Assembly resolutions.
The Russia-Africa Partnership Forum
From November 9-10, Russia gathered African leaders in Sochi for the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum, raising concerns of neocolonialism and deceit. A draft statement for the summit leaked before the event revealed points that were contradictory to Russia’s actions.
Russia used this first Russia-Africa Ministerial Summit to continue pushing narratives and securing deals that advance its strategic objective of undermining the Western-led international system and highlighting its stature as a global power in Africa.
According to Mwakasungula, a renowned human rights campaigner, Malawians and Africans have to be reminded that Russia, then Soviet Union helped liberate African countries who were still under colonial rule and you cannot rule that out Russia is true and genuine ally of Africa.
The Kremlin advanced its vision of Russia as the leader of an anti-Western bloc seeking a multipolar world order and highlighting the narrative that Russia is not internationally isolated.
It also discussed increasing cooperation in several sectors including finance, nuclear energy, satellite technology, and security. These partnerships aim to boost Russian influence and its image as a great power at the expense of Western economic, political, and security interests.
Critics have argued that the draft joint statement, which claimed cooperation with Africa, was misleading and hypocritical. It pledged to fight against neocolonialism, yet Russia’s actions in Africa and other parts of the world suggest otherwise.
The anti-democratic rhetoric misleading African countries
Congolese human rights activist Andrea Ngombet noted that Russia’s anti-democratic rhetoric misleads African countries, and that nations aligned with Russia are neither safer nor richer.
“In fact, they are mostly in the brink of collapse, and human rights violations such as the massacre in Moura, northern Mali, remind us of the predatory and colonial nature of Russian cooperation. African problems are intertwined with the world and while fostering an African perspective to solve them, they must remain connected to the betterment of humankind,” Ngobet said.
Key areas of contention include Russia’s “counterterrorist” activities, which some argue are more about expanding influence than combating extremism.
However, Anton Kobyakov, the Adviser to the Russian President, said the ministerial conference of the Russia Africa partnership forum is an important initiative that aims to intensify comprehensive cooperation between Russia and African countries in all its dimensions.
Russia’s involvement in global conflicts, including its aggression against Ukraine, undermines its praise for “universal norms” in conflict resolution.
Additionally, Russia’s role in the global grain supply crisis contradicts its boasts about food aid.
In 2022, Russia supplied 11.5 million tons of grain to Malawi and other African countries, but this was insufficient considering the impact of their actions on global food security.
Economically, less than one percent of the country’s foreign direct investment goes to the African continent, and its $18 billion in trade with African countries lags far behind the United States’ $64 billion and China’s $254 billion, according to the Congressional Research Service.
However, accessing valuable natural resources, such as gold, diamonds, uranium, and oil in Africa remains Russia’s priority.
Chifipa Mhango, National Director of Economic Affairs for the position political party, Alliance for Democracy- AFORD, says Malawi belongs to regional bodies that take both a political and economic posture in international matters and therefore, African countries have taken a position of non-alignment on international political matters.
“Therefore, engagements and its cooperation on economic matters is guided by its economic development needs.
“It is for this reason that Malawi and other African countries’ relationship with advanced economies are based on mutual economic benefits approach, he states.
According to Mhango, just like African countries pursue economic ties with advanced economies in Europe, China, India, USA, the approach towards Russia is also similar.
“The parameters that guide economic ties and cooperation should be based on economic development needs, to which Russia’s relationships with African countries is guided by the same principles,” he says.
And amid increasing global demand for the inputs necessary for alternative energies and advanced technologies, Africa’s vast reserves of critical minerals motivate Moscow’s efforts as well. To accomplish these goals, analysts say Russia uses its favoured strategy of working through low-cost intermediaries, including PMCs or local political allies.
Its rhetoric relies on so-called memory diplomacy to tap into lingering anti-colonial sentiment, often using disinformation campaigns to discredit pro-Western forces and frame itself as a better partner than the West
Russia’s military support is a significant aspect of its influence, often provided through private military contractors like the Wagner (Africa corps) Group. This mercenary force has been linked to human rights abuses and destabilization in countries such as Mali, Libya and the Central African Republic.
Nuclear Energy support to African countries
While Russia is planning to set up nuclear energy plants in most African countries, such efforts are to bear fruits. Setting up such technologies In Africa would only benefit Russia itself and not the poor Africans because it is too expensive to set up, some energy experts explained.
However in Zambia, concern was raised by the UPND government when opposition leader Fred M’membe revealed that he was in talks with the Russian government over setting up the nuclear energy plants.
Despite the worries and concerns raised by many African countries, M’membe still pursued Russians over the same.
UPND Deputy Secretary-General Gertrude Imenda questioned M’membe’s motives for discussing nuclear energy with Russia, suggesting self-interest rather than concern for Zambia’s power crisis.
Mufulira Central Member of parliament Golden Mwila says that there is no problem with Russia having transactional relationships with Zambia and any African country, but urged caution and discouraged deep involvement with Russia.
Mwila said Zambia must push an agenda that not only benefits Russia but also benefits Zambia.
However, Mhango, a Malawian economist based in South Africa, adds that in the case of Malawi, being a member of the African Union Commission (AU) and also SADC, its principles of engagement should be aligned to the regional groupings, and its relationship with Russia is not isolated on African economic ties and cooperation with Russia.
Both Malawi and Zambia belong to SADC, COMESA and the African Union Commission (AUC).
