Panel Discussion: Russian Presence in Africa

Efforts to consolidate Russia’s position on the African continent can be observed in Russian foreign policy for a long time. This has included various economic activities, the building of diplomatic relations with some African states, and, for example, the military actions of the paramilitary group Wagner. How is Russia’s growing presence rated in the various African regions? Is Russia more interested in some regions than others? Can we talk about traditional Russian and, conversely, traditional ‚Western‘ allies?

European media attention has turned to Russia’s growing influence in Africa particularly in the context of the war in Ukraine and the attitudes that individual countries have taken towards it. While some of the countries have taken a rather restrained approach to the situation, others have sided with Russia, while many, on the contrary, have strongly condemned the invasion and labelled Russia as the aggressor. These different attitudes prevent us from seeing Africa as a political monolith – as the continent is often presented.

However, international politics aside, the Ukrainian war is, above all, having a heavy impact on the lives of ordinary Africans. To what extent has the war contributed to the current food crisis on the African continent? These and other topics will be discussed in English by Tereza Němečková (Metropolitan University Prague), Bohumil Doboš (Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University), Ondřej Horký-Hlucháň (Institute of International Relations) and Luboš Veselý (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic) as part of the Africa Week organised by the Centre for African Studies at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University. The event will be moderated by Cherine Hussein (Institute of International Relations) and will also be available online. (For the link, register here)