Should Nato be worried about China and Russia’s influence in Africa?

The military bloc says Beijing and Moscow are using leverage and coercion to expand their reach in the region

But China and the West share an interest in security and stability on the continent, an analyst says

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A Malian and a French soldier stand on either side of the Barkhane camp flagpole before the handover ceremony of the Barkhane military base to the Malian army in Timbuktu in December. Photo: AFP

Published: 1:00pm, 11 Jul 2022

When Nato leaders met in Madrid late last month, the bloc’s secretary general Jens Stoltenberg warned that Russia and China were continuing to “seek political, economic, and military gain across our southern neighbourhood”.

“Both Moscow and Beijing are using economic leverage, coercion, and hybrid approaches to advance their interests in the region,” Stoltenberg said, referring to the Middle East and North Africa.

Nato’s concerns about the growing influence in Africa of Russia and China, which has pumped billions into the continent’s infrastructure under its transcontinental Belt and Road Initiative, has prompted the bloc to turn more of its attention to the region but many of those fears – at least in the case of China – may not be warranted, observers say.

One of the areas of concern is Mali, where France has been a firm ally in the fight against jihadists and rebel forces who have killed hundreds and displaced thousands.

Then last year France fell out with the Malian military government and Mali clinched a deal with Russia to bring in military trainers, mostly from the pro-Kremlin Wagner mercenary group.

“Facing increasing pressure from the international community, coup leader Colonel Assimi Goïta turned to Wagner to effectively help preserve his grasp on power,” Marie Jourdain and Petr Tůma, visiting fellows at the Atlantic Council’s Europe Centre, said in a report in June.

While Mali has turned to Russia, neighbouring Mauritania will be the recipient of a Nato “defence capacity-building package … to help address border security, irregular migration, and terrorism”, according to Stoltenberg. Nato also agreed to additional support for Tunisia and Jordan.