By 
Russia has accused France of escalating terrorism in Africa, pinpointing the overthrow of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 as the “starting point.”
Moscow described the resulting “tragedy” as having unintended consequences across the region, including the rise of Islamist ideology in the Sahel, the emergence of terrorist groups, and the proliferation of violence and arms trafficking, according to the daily post.
“Paris did not consider the future of the region when it pressed that trigger,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during a briefing.
Zakharova also criticized the French media for attempting to “discredit” Russia’s counterterrorism efforts in the Sahara-Sahel, urging them instead to examine the real causes of the security crisis.
Read more: South African influencer apologises over viral Russian job videos
She called the campaign a “deliberate information operation,” aimed at undermining Russia’s contributions to peace and security in African regions affected by terrorism.
Moscow further reminded France of its “failure to improve security in the Sahel,” noting that local populations often viewed French forces as a “colonial occupation army” during the eight-year counterinsurgency.
According to Zakharova, Operation Barkhane (2014–2022) ended in “total failure” and led to a significant reduction of France’s military presence in Africa.
The spokeswoman cited reports alleging that French special services “support terrorist groups to destabilize the governments of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger,” countries that she said had broken free from French influence.
“There is no smoke without fire in this case,” Zakharova added, accusing Paris of maintaining political and economic relations in the region rooted in 19th-century neo-colonialist policies.
Zakharova suggested that France, unsettled by African nations’ severing of ties, was spreading misinformation to deflect responsibility for regional security problems.
On Mali’s recent fuel crisis, she noted the situation eased this month with support from the Russian Defence Ministry’s Africa Corps, which is also assisting Malian forces in joint operations against banditry.
Moscow described its cooperation with the Alliance of Sahel States as “mutually beneficial” and pledged to strengthen regional security both bilaterally and through UN mechanisms.
WARNING! All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express permission from ZAMBIA MONITOR.
Comments