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06/20/2022 - 06/20/2022 | Hamburg

Russia Resurgent? Untangling the Role & Meaning of Moscow’s Presence in West Africa and the Sahel

The GIGA Speaker Series on African Affairs aims at painting a nuanced picture of sub-Saharan Africa by discussing political and socio-economic developments on a regular basis. We provide a platform for excellent African researchers to increase the visibility of African perspectives on current affairs in Germany. Moreover, with our series, we aim to further strengthen collaborations with African partners. The series takes place around four times a year and is available to the public.

Growing international concern about Russia’s military and political resurgence in Africa has been rekindled by its invasion of Ukraine since February 2022. Russia’s growing influence in Africa through the re-establishment of old ties and the creation of new ones has been perceived as a quest to re-establish the geopolitical gains that the Soviet Union achieved prior to its collapse in 1989. Increasing demand for Russian weaponry and equipment, support for unpopular, illegitimate, or unconstitutionally elected leaders, and the targeting and interest in mining concessions and natural resources are considered by the West as a threat to democratic gains and stability on an already fragile continent.

Several questions arise as a result of the deepfake propaganda around occurrences on the continent: How has Russia’s resurgence manifested in Africa? What instruments does Russia utilise to exert its influence there? What are the potential opportunities and threats coming with a Russian presence in West Africa and the Sahel? And, how will other global actors be affected? I seek to examine a particular aspect of Russia’s resurgence on the African continent: namely, the presence of Russian proxies in West Africa and the Sahel. Investigated are the multiple dynamics created by their presence, the potential threats that their proliferation and activities generate in an already fragile subregion, and how such activities, if unconstrained, can impose other potential dangers on the continent as well as the global stage at large.

Hosted by GIGA Institute for African Affairs in cooperation with the GIGA Research Programme "Peace and Security".

Speaker:
Prof. Kwesi Aning is Director of the Faculty of Academic Affairs & Research, Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, Ghana, and Clinical Professor of Peacekeeping Practice at Kennesaw State University, Atlanta.

Moderation:
Dr. Christian von Soest is Lead Research Fellow at the GIGA Institute for African Affairs and Head of the GIGA Research Programme “Peace and Security.”

Information on participating / attending:
We would like to ask you to register for this event. The registration is free of charge.

Date:

06/20/2022 14:00 - 06/20/2022 15:00

Event venue:

Online Event
Hamburg
Hamburg
Germany

Target group:

Scientists and scholars, all interested persons

Email address:

Relevance:

international

Subject areas:

Politics

Types of events:

Presentation / colloquium / lecture

Entry:

06/17/2022

Sender/author:

Verena Schweiger

Department:

Fachabteilung Kommunikation

Event is free:

yes

Language of the text:

English

URL of this event: http://idw-online.de/en/event71926


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