Putin promises free grain to six African nations as trade increase by 35%

Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the notorious Wagner paramilitary group, has appeared on the sidelines of a major Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg, despite agreeing to go into exile following his failed mutiny last month.

The warlord’s continued presence in Russia indicated Prigozhin remains an important part of the Kremlin establishment, from which President Vladimir Putin has so far proved reluctant or unable to disentangle him.

Prigozhin was photographed shaking hands with Freddy Mapouka, chief of protocol for Central African Republic president, Faustin-Archange Touadéra, who attended the summit.

The picture was posted by Dmitry Syty, one of Wagner’s visible figures in CAR, on his Facebook account with the message: “Mr. Ambassador shared with me the first photos of the Russia-Africa Summit. We see familiar faces”, with a smiling emoji.

Syty, director of a Russian cultural centre in CAR, has been hit with sanctions by the U.S., EU and, a week ago, the UK, as one of several Russian nationals active in CAR with links to Prigozhin.

News outlets claimed Prigozhin also met officials from Mali as well as Niger, where a coup attempt that began on Wednesday threatened to remove its pro-western president, Mohamed Bazoum.

Prigozhin agreed to relocate to Belarus last month after its president, Alexander Lukashenko, brokered an 11th-hour deal to end the group’s rebellion against the Russian army.

Meanwhile, Putin lead the trade turnover between Russia and African countries has increased by almost 35 per cent in the first half of 2023 despite international sanctions and fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that trade turnover between Russia and Africa reached $18 billion in 2022, attributing the success to the last summit.

Putin also promised free grain supplies to six African nations as Moscow seeks to capitalise on collapse of the Black Sea grain deal, claiming his country can replace Ukrainian grain exports blocked by Moscow’s decision to abandon the UN-brokered arrangement.

The deal which had allowed the export of grain and other products from Ukraine through the Black Sea to markets, many of them in Africa.

“In the coming months, we will be ready to provide Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, CAR and Eritrea with 25,000-50,000 tonnes of grain free of charge,” Putin told attending African leaders on Thursday.

Speaking at a trilateral meeting with the Chairperson of the African Union, Azali Assoumani, and Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, Putin said “despite the difficulties related to the pandemic and the imposition of illegal sanctions against Russia, it was possible to ensure the growth in the pace of trade and economic ties” with African countries.

“Russia continues to be a reliable supplier of food to Africa,” he added, saying that in 2022, Russian exports of this group of goods had amounted to 4.7 billion dollars.”
He expressed his expectation for AU to become a member of the G-20 during the organisation’s upcoming September summit in India.

“Russia was one of the first to respond positively to the initiative last year put forward by your predecessors in the presidency, the President of Senegal, to grant the African Union full membership in the G-20. We expect that this decision will be made as early as September during the G-20 summit in New Delhi,” he said.