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CONAKRY, Guinea — Russian International Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived Monday in Guinea on his newest go to to West Africa, the place coups and rising discontent with conventional allies like France and america have contributed to some nations’ shift towards Moscow.
Lavrov has visited the African continent a number of instances prior to now couple of years as Russia seeks help — or not less than neutrality — from lots of its 54 nations amid Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Lavrov met with Guinea’s international minister Morissanda Kouyaté, in accordance with Russia’s international ministry. Guinea’s authorities in a press release stated the assembly was to debate areas of mutual cooperation, with out elaborating.
Lavrov was anticipated to reach within the Republic of Congo late on Monday night, the place he was as a consequence of meet President Denis Sassou Nguesso within the metropolis of Oyo, in accordance with an official communique from Brazzaville. It wasn’t clear which different nations have been on his itinerary later this week.
Guinea has been dominated by a army junta since 2021. Col. Mamadi Doumbouya seized energy saying he was stopping Guinea from slipping into chaos and accusing the earlier authorities of damaged guarantees. In February, army leaders dissolved the federal government with out clarification, saying a brand new one shall be appointed.
Doumbouya has rebuffed makes an attempt by the West and different developed nations to intervene in Africa’s political challenges, saying Africans are “exhausted by the categorizations with which everybody needs to field us in.”
A number of West African nations together with Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have had coups that put in army juntas. They’ve severed or scaled again long-standing army ties with Western powers in favor of safety help from Russia.
Lavrov visited Mali early final 12 months and pledged army help. Additionally final 12 months, he visited South Africa — seen as probably the most vital of a number of African nations to take a impartial stance on the warfare in Ukraine — and returned there to attend a gathering of BRICS bloc nations. He additionally visited Kenya in an outreach in East Africa.
Lavrov late final 12 months toured North Africa, the place Russia additionally seeks to strengthen ties within the vacuum created by the diminishing reputation of Western powers.
In West Africa, the army junta governing Burkina Faso ousted French forces final 12 months and turned to Russia for safety help. And in Niger, Russian army trainers arrived weeks after the junta that took energy final 12 months ordered U.S. troops to withdraw from the nation.
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