Russia’s Military Mission Creep Advances to a New Front: Africa

Russia’s Military Mission Creep Advances to a New Front: Africa - The New York Times

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — Russia has been steadily expanding its military influence across Africa, alarming Western officials with increasing arms sales, security agreements and training programs for unstable countries or autocratic leaders.

In the Central African Republic, where a Russian has been installed as the president’s national security adviser, the government is selling mining rights for gold and diamonds at a fraction of their worth to hire trainers and buy arms from Moscow. Russia is seeking to ensconce itself on NATO’s southern flank by helping a former general in Libya fight for control over his government and vast oil market.
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The U.S. has also considered Africa to be one of the most important strategic world fronts for a variety of reasons. Are we steering toward an inevitable confrontation with Russia as well as Venezuela?

As Africa is set to become the next global economic powerhouse as its rich in human capital and natural resources, one could describe the current situation as the “new scramble for Africa” or at the very least the beginnings of one.

It makes sense Russia would be prodding around in this area.

But China I think seems to have the best head start, they already seem to be making great strides into debt trapping a bunch of African nations into making major concessions in future.

And tens of thousands of Chinese are moving to the continent, I’ve heard stories of some facing hostility from the local population however such as in Dhaka.