On June 18, the Valdai Club’s Moscow venue hosted the presentation of Valdai Paper No. 128, The Sahara-Sahel Region: In Search of a New Security Architecture Amid the Collapse of the Neo-Colonial System. Moderating the discussion, Timofei Bordachev
emphasised that, although the subject of the paper is not at the forefront of Russia’s foreign policy agenda, it is of great importance in the context of the development of the World Majority and the emergence of a multipolar world as a whole.
Aleksei Chikhachev, Associate Professor at the Department of European Studies, School of International Relations of Saint Petersburg State University, Leading Expert at the Center for Strategic Studies, Institute of Foreign Economic Relations, HSE University, as well as one of the authors of the Valdai Paper, noted that the Sahara-Sahel region is of considerable importance to Russia and is home to valuable partners across a wide range of areas, including military-political, economic, and cultural and humanitarian cooperation. He highlighted the important role of the Confederation of Sahel States (CSS) as an emerging structure capable of shaping the region’s security architecture. He described the formation of the CSS—an autonomous framework for regional cooperation free from Western influence—as “multipolarity in action”. Summing up the preliminary results of the Confederation’s initial stage of development, Chikhachev also identified several noteworthy factors: the yet incomplete collapse of the Western neocolonial security system, built over decades within the framework of the Françafrique strategy; the unfinished formation of a new security system; the role of external actors in the region; and the balance of power in the neighbouring Maghreb.
Lassina Zerbo, Prime Minister of Burkina Faso from 2021 to 2022, pointed to growing dissatisfaction among the region’s younger generation with external diktat, as well as a public demand for partnerships, making ties with Russia particularly important. In his view, this demand represents a desire for diversified partnerships that preserve sovereignty, rather than rigid political blocs. He added that genuine sovereignty, which is now widely discussed across the countries of the region, means responsibility, the capacity to make independent decisions, create the necessary foundations, and ensure justice in order to strengthen domestic institutions. “We must build sovereignty, not merely talk about it,” Zerbo argued. Achieving this requires genuine partnerships based on mutual respect and dignity that help strengthen the African continent. At the same time, although security—including energy security—is the indispensable foundation of development, without which no development is possible in the first place, he believes that the humanitarian and human dimension must play the central role in cooperation.
Gashaw Ayferam, Director General for African Affairs Research at the Institute of Foreign Affairs, argued that these developments represent not only a transformation of the security architecture, but also the emergence of a new identity and sovereignty—in effect, a new Pan-Africanism founded upon collective sovereignty. Despite defeating colonial rule, African countries did not become fully economically independent. Today, they are striving for economic independence and control over their own resources, which requires a new security architecture. Moreover, strategic autonomy—including in relations with international partners—must not be overlooked, although some countries in the region continue to face challenges in this regard. The researcher pointed to the ongoing competition for influence in the region and stressed that the countries concerned should not be forced to choose between different partners, but should instead preserve diversified external relationships.
Alena Lisenkova, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for International Studies, MGIMO University, and co-author of the Valdai Paper, analysed the driving forces behind the formation of the CSS. According to her, these include broad processes associated with multilateralism and multipolarity, the aspiration for independence, dissatisfaction with the presence of Western actors in Africa, the desire for a geopolitical break with France, and the growing role of non-Western extra-regional actors, which has contributed to the diversification of cooperation. Lisenkova described the concept of the CSS as both innovative and, at the same time, rooted in continuity with earlier integration projects and mechanisms that had already existed in the region, albeit with a much stronger focus on security issues. “Building an entirely new system from scratch is, of course, extremely difficult. Replacing what France has left behind will require years and years of reform,” she observed, adding that institutionalisation within the framework of the CSS would proceed gradually.
Mateo Rojas Samper, PhD student, MGIMO University, and co-author of the paper, argued that the region is characterised not only by instability, but also by a security vacuum. For decades, France stood at the centre of the regional security architecture. That framework no longer exists, and someone must fill the resulting vacuum. Against this backdrop, the researcher considered what constructive role an external power might play in such circumstances and examined the contributions of Russia, China, and Turkey. In his view, Russia’s role is the most visible. Its approach is political in nature, providing support not only in the field of security, but across a broader spectrum of cooperation. Beijing, by contrast, is guided primarily by economic considerations. It acts quietly and with great caution regarding military partnerships, although it does supply arms. Finally, there is Turkey, which sees itself first and foremost as a mediator rather than a partner. Rojas Samper believes that all three approaches are constructive and necessary for the region.
Maria Kalinovskaya, Deputy Director of the Department of Partnership with Africa of the Russian Foreign Ministry, noted that the CSS—an organisation that emerged amid the struggle against neocolonial practices that had prevented African countries from developing—is currently undergoing a difficult formative period while standing on the front line in the fight against terrorism. The security situation remains extremely challenging: the CSS countries have endured a fuel blockade, an international airport in Niger has come under attack, and Mali experienced a massive coordinated attack in April. Russia seeks to assist the Sahel comprehensively across multiple areas. In April last year, Moscow hosted the first ministerial meeting in the “Russia—Confederation of Sahel States (CSS)” format, which launched a political dialogue. “We support strengthening the agency of this organisation and reinforcing its ties with Africa’s other integration bodies—the African Union and ECOWAS,” Kalinovskaya stated. “We see the future of the CSS in constructive synergy with other regional organisations and states. They can achieve lasting development only in an environment of stable and good-neighbourly relations.”
The Valdai Discussion Club was established in 2004. It is named after Lake Valdai, which is located close to Veliky Novgorod, where the Club’s first meeting took place.
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