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Many African countries are anxious not to be sucked into a new Cold War and want to maintain cordial relations with both Russia and the West. (Illustration: Getty Images)

Russia looking to strengthen Africa presence

Many African countries are anxious not to be sucked into a new Cold War and want to maintain cordial relations with both Russia and the West

A vehicle of the Presidential Guard of Niger passes in front of the Niamey conference center where the first summit of the Confederation of Sahel States (AES) summit was held in Niamey on July 6, 2024. (Photo by BOUREIMA HAMA/AFP via Getty Images)

Russian fighters killed in major Mali battle highlight Kremlin’s diplomatic and security strategy in Africa

It is rumoured that the Kremlin could dispatch reinforcements to the Sahel to sustain its influence

A man lights a candle at a makeshift memorial for Wagner private mercenary group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin in central Moscow on October 1, 2023, to mark 40 days since his death as per Orthodox tradition. (Photo by NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images)

What Wagner Group’s new branding means for Russia’s operations in Africa

The choice of name could be an attempt to add a layer of obfuscation to cover what has been in plain sight for a long time. That Russian mercenaries in Africa serve one master –…

File photo by Wagner Account/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Prigozhin’s death exposes Putin’s real motives in Africa

Russia’s lawlessness at home and abroad is bringing into sharp focus what Vladimir Putin’s new world order would look like

Flowers and patches bearing the logo of private mercenary group Wagner are seen at the makeshift memorial in front of the “PMC Wagner Centre” in Saint Petersburg, early on August 24, 2023. Photo by STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images

Wagner boss Prigozhin among 10 killed in plane crash: Russian officials

Russia’s ministry for emergency situations on Wednesday announced the crash of a private plane travelling between Moscow and Saint Petersburg

Armoured vehicles and fighters of Wagner on the streets after the Wagner paramilitary group took control of the headquarters of Russia’s southern military district in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on June 24, 2023. (Photo by Arkady Budnitsky/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Putin vows to defeat Wagner Group as mercenaries advance on Moscow

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, once a close Vladimir Putin ally, said his troops had taken control of the military command centre and airbase in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu attend a ceremony, marking the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow, June 22, 2023 in Moscow. (Contributor/Getty Images)

Wagner chief vows to topple Russia top brass, says fighters ‘ready to die’

Yevgeny Prigozhin said his forces, who have spearheaded much of Russia’s offensive in Ukraine, had entered the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and controlled its military…

How China and Russia are involved in the Sudan conflict

Sudan has received billions in loans and investment from China, while Russia wants to set up a naval base in Port Sudan

God shines through: A woman tries to set up her tent (above) damaged by a windstorm that hit 60 refugee camps and 11 temporary shelters for earthquake survivors in Idlib, Syria. (Muhammed Said/Getty Images)

 Ukraine, Mozambique, Syria: ‘Bombs don’t hit non-believers only’

God is in every dark corner, say those who have suffered in Ukraine, Mozambique and the Middle East

Thus far, Ukraine has resisted Russia’s assault, thanks to Ukrainians’ valour and Western aid. But after nearly a year of fighting, there’s no end in sight. (Photo by Murat Saka/dia images via Getty Images)

10 conflicts to watch in 2023

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent shock waves around the world. As the International Crisis Group shows, several other crises loom

When the body of Lemekhani Nathan Nyirenda was returned to Zambia last year, it should have led to closure for his grieving family. Instead, the controversy surrounding his death on the battlefield in Ukraine has only deepened.

Russian mercenary outfit confirms recruiting Zambian student from prison

Mercenary boss says Lemekhani Nathan Nyirenda, who died in Russia’s war on Ukraine in August, wanted to ‘repay Africa’s debts’ to Russia

Irony-free oppression: All agree ethical decay is evident on the right, such as when protests in Iran are brutally quashed and a population is ruled by fear. But it is increasingly seen on the left too, argues the author.

Wokeism and cancel culture leave ethics on the rocks

Nomically, the left advocates pluralism and promotes difference, but only within a network of fixed, essentialized identities, and so permissiveness becomes prohibition.

Security forces inspect at the site after a Russian missile attack as Russia-Ukraine war continues in Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on July 19, 2022. (FILE PHOTO by Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Russia’s war on Ukraine could turn private

The expanding use of private military and security companies in recent years suggests that they may take a leading role as the Ukraine conflict develops

Abuses: After Central African Republic President Faustin-Archange Touadéra (centre) asked for help in fighting militias, private Russian paramilitary contractors were sent to the CAR. Photo: Barbara Debout/AFP

Human Rights Watch: Russian mercenaries killing civilians in Central African Republic

The NGO has noted that paramilitary forces have executed, tortured, and beaten civilians since 2019

Macomia district in the province of Cabo Delgado, which is expected to become the centre of a gas industry, has seen a string of assaults on security forces and civilians, but no one has claimed responsibility. (Emidio Josine/AFP)

The insurgency in northern Mozambique has got worse. Why?

Mozambique needs to restructure its defence force and build an alliance with its neighbour Tanzania in preparation for a drawn-out struggle against ‘jihadists’