South Africa to host joint military exercise with Russia and China; Moscow’s influence in Africa growing with arms and nuclear deals.
In February 2021, South Africa will host a joint military exercise with Russia and China on its east coast. This follows a long history of South African support for Russia and China’s position in limiting perceived US-hegemony on the global stage, and out of gratitude for their moral and military support in South Africa’s fight against apartheid. South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor responded to criticism of the planned drills, saying that hosting such exercises with “friends” was the “natural course of relations.”
Ukraine’s Embassy in Pretoria has asked the South African government to endorse the 10-point peace plan proposed by President Zelenskyy to the G20. However, most African nations have been hesitant to take sides in the conflict, as was made clear at the UN General Assembly vote to suspend Russia’s membership in the Human Rights Council last April.
Russia is currently the largest exporter of weapons to the African continent, and has sent hundreds of military advisers to Mali. It has also tried to revive ties with African nations that existed during the Cold War, and has been successful in selling nuclear technology to developing nations.
Overall, Russia has gained a foothold on the African continent as a security broker in order to “confront the collective West” and project the image of a “defender of Africa.” South Africa’s neutrality has disappointed its Western partners, who consider the country crucial to their plans to strengthen relationships with Africa. It remains to be seen how the joint military exercise and Russia’s increasing presence in the region will affect the conflict in Ukraine.
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