In February 2025, France quietly pulled nearly all its troops from C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire \u2013 a rare smooth withdrawal in its unraveling African mission. But just weeks earlier, its exit from Chad erupted into a diplomatic firefight. The clash came after President Macron accused African nations of \u201cingratitude\u201d for France\u2019s counterterrorism efforts. Chad\u2019s leader, Mahamat D\u00e9by, fired back with brutal clarity: Where was France when Boko Haram slaughtered their soldiers? The message was unmistakable \u2013 Paris\u2019s era of calling the shots in Africa is over. And as French forces retreat, the scramble for influence is already underway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The writing was on the wall long before Chad\u2019s explosive showdown with Paris. Military regimes in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso had already kicked French troops out \u2013 and by the end of 2025, Senegal will follow.<\/strong> Across West and Central Africa, President D\u00e9by\u2019s stance is becoming increasingly widespread. He declared that Chad would only build reciprocal relations with friendly nations that respect each other\u2019s independence and sovereignty and assist each other in times of crisis. At the same time, he promised to stop ties with countries that \u201cbehaved as if Chad had remained their colony.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chadian President D\u00e9by\u2019s defiance \u2013 demanding partnerships based on \u201crespect, not colonialism\u201d \u2013 is now the rallying cry across the Sahel. But this anti-French sentiment didn\u2019t arise spontaneously. For years, foreign intelligence services, especially Russia\u2019s, have been methodically reshaping African perspectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moscow is no stranger to this game. During the Cold War, the USSR armed liberation movements, trained future leaders, and positioned itself as the anti-colonial alternative to the West. Now, Russia is executing a 21st-century replay: leveraging discontent, amplifying anti-French narratives, and filling the void with mercenaries, propaganda, and \u201cregime survival\u201d packages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A leaked 2019 Wagner Group memo obtained by Le Monde<\/em> lays bare Moscow\u2019s ambitions in chilling clarity: \u201cAfrica is a region of the world where the interests of all global powers converge. A country\u2019s position on the international stage depends directly on its influence on the African continent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This isn\u2019t a new strategy \u2013 it\u2019s revived Cold War doctrine.<\/strong> The USSR once flooded Africa with arms, trained Marxist revolutionaries, and propped up regimes from Angola to Ethiopia. Now, Putin\u2019s Russia is executing a 21st-century reboot in Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While France stumbles, Russia strides in \u2013 not with colonial baggage, but with no-strings-attached strongman support. The result? Moscow\u2019s African footprint now stretches from Libya\u2019s oil fields to the Central African Republic\u2019s diamond mines. The message to Washington and Brussels is clear: Underestimate Africa\u2019s strategic value again, and lose the next great power game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n See also:<\/strong> The Dream of Paradise on Earth Never Dies. Hell Comes as Part of the Package<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Russia didn\u2019t stumble into Africa \u2013 it conquered it through decades of calculated strategy. From the Soviet era onward, the Kremlin masterfully weaponized anti-Western resentment, hammering colonial powers as exploiters while positioning itself as Africa\u2019s \u201ctrue\u201d ally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When colonial empires crumbled, Moscow pounced \u2013 turning newly independent nations into Soviet client states. Algeria. Egypt. Mozambique. The USSR didn\u2019t just offer aid; it armed liberation movements and installed puppet regimes, all while posing as the global south\u2019s anti-imperialist savior.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Few institutions did more to spread Soviet influence in Africa than Moscow\u2019s Patrice Lumumba Peoples\u2019 Friendship University. Named after the murdered Congolese independence leader (whose 1961 assassination involved Belgian and CIA operatives), this was no ordinary school \u2013 it was the USSR\u2019s premier training ground for Africa\u2019s future revolutionary elite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While these extremists made global headlines, thousands more Lumumba University graduates returned home to quietly assume positions of power \u2013 creating networks of Soviet influence that would last decades. Today, as Russia renews its African push, this Cold War pipeline of ideological allies may prove more valuable than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read also:<\/strong> \u201cFriends, You Are at War\u201d. How to Conquer a Country Without Firing a Shot<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n While Washington slept, Moscow moved. Over two decades after the Soviet collapse, Russia isn\u2019t just back in Africa \u2013 it\u2019s dominating. And it\u2019s doing it with a brutal cocktail of Wagner mercenaries, cheap propaganda, and cold, hard opportunism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The era of French dominance in Africa is over. In its place? A new wave of Russian flags, Wagner thugs, and Kremlin-backed strongmen calling the shots. Putin\u2019s playbook is ruthless but effective: Flood the zone with cheap guns, mercenaries, and anti-Western rage. Autocrats and coup leaders gladly take the deal \u2013 Russian muscle in exchange for loyalty, mines, and military bases. Meanwhile, Wagner\u2019s killers keep dissenters in line, while<\/strong> Moscow\u2019s propaganda machine pumps out cartoons and memes painting France as the villain<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The plot of the propaganda videos was terrifyingly simple. For instance: a local citizen is reading a newspaper when suddenly a hole opens in the floor, and a small rat jumps out. The rat grabs a piece of cheese and scurries away, avoiding a newspaper thrown at it. But soon, a much larger rat emerges from the hole, wearing a sweater with the French flag. It steals food from the shelves and wreaks havoc in the apartment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, a French radio broadcast says: \u201cRats never steal. On the contrary, they do a lot of good\u2026\u201d The first rat disappears under the floor, but shortly afterward, a much bigger and more aggressive rat appears, with large teeth. It heads straight for the owner and declares: \u201cThis is my house now. Get lost!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Related:<\/strong> The Republic of South Africa: The World\u2019s Most Unequal Country?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n A frightened older man sits at his kitchen table, nervously clutching a crumpled newspaper. His eyes dart across the page until they lock onto a small, bold advertisement. Beneath it, a phone number glows faintly, as if beckoning him. The man hesitates, then reaches for his phone with trembling hands. The sound of dial tones echoes \u2013 sharp, deliberate. A pause. Then, a gruff voice answers in Russian-accented English: \u201cWagner. Speak.\u201d The man stammers,\u201c”I \u2013 I need help. There\u2019s an intruder. A rat. A French rat.\u201d A chuckle. \u201cDa<\/em>. We handle rats.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A knock rattles the door. The man peers through the peephole to see a towering, bearded mercenary in a mismatched uniform \u2013 no rifle, just a weathered violin case. He opens the door cautiously. The mercenary strides in, drops the case on the table, and flips it open. Inside: a massive hammer, its head emblazoned with a gleaming \u201cW.\u201d \u201cWhere is a rat?\u201d he growls. The French rat (now human-sized, wearing a beret and a smug grin) leans against the wall, twirling a baguette. \u201cZis is my house now,\u201d it sneers. The Wagner mercenary hefts the hammer. \u201cNyet<\/em>.\u201d SWING \u2013 BOOM! A comic-style impact blast fills the air as the hammer connects. The rat\u2019s eyes spin, stars orbiting its head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Silence. The older man exhales. The mercenary wipes the hammer clean and extends a calloused hand. \u201cProblem solved,\u201d he rumbles. The man shakes it gratefully, relief washing over him. The violin case snaps shut. Fade to black. Caption: \u201cWagner Group: When Diplomacy Fails.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The next scene is accompanied by cheerful African rhythms. It\u2019s no surprise, as we see a blissful picture: the homeowner is sitting at a table with his granddaughter and the mercenary, enjoying tea. Meanwhile, the homeowner\u2019s wife is roasting a large rat with the French flag on a spit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In another clip, we see zombies chanting: \u201cThe Assembly wants Macron. Now this is our country.\u201d The zombies, wearing helmets with French colors, advance mechanically under fire from a Malian soldier standing defiantly with his rifle against the backdrop of his national flag. Yet even he must eventually admit: \u201cThere are too many of them. I’m running out of ammo.\u201d Then, a helicopter appears. From it leaps a mercenary with a Russian flag on his sleeve and a skull emblem symbolizing the Wagner Group. \u201cDo you need support, my friend?\u201d he asks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moments later, the Black soldier opens fire with a heavy machine gun of devastating power, while the Russian mercenary feeds him a fresh ammo belt. The zombies don\u2019t stand a chance. As the last creature falls, the Malian soldier nods in gratitude. The Wagner fighter claps him on the shoulder and replies in rough but earnest French: \u201cJe suis heureux de t\u2019avoir aid\u00e9<\/em>.\u201d (\u201cI was happy to help, my friend.\u201d) Behind them, the helicopter\u2019s rotors kick up dust \u2013 and the skull emblem on the merc\u2019s sleeve glints in the sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the next scene, the \u00c9lys\u00e9e Palace is shown, where plans to take over Burkina Faso and C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire are being discussed. The mechanism is the same \u2013 a tricolor dragon or some other beast attempts to seize an African country but encounters local resistance, which only becomes effective after calling in the Wagner Group for help. The whole scene is punctuated by the familiar slogans: \u201cDown with imperialism! Down with France!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Russia](\"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Russia-in-Africa-2.jpg\")
Russia in Africa: The New Great Game<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Lumumba University and Soviet Spheres of Influence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Russia in Africa. How to Grill a French \u201cRat\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A Swing at France. Wagner Group Problem-Solvers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Russia in Africa: \u201cZombie Hordes\u201d vs. \u201cThe Reaper’s Brigade\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Russia](\"https:\/\/holistic.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Russia-in-Africa-3.jpg\")