Russia ‘gained upper hand’ in parts of Africa, as it holds talks on security with Bahrain, Uganda

Bahrain’s King has urged Moscow to play a role in peacekeeping in the Middle East, while also Uganda and the Comoros have have recently held discussions with Russia on security issues affecting Africa and the possibility of resolving conflicts in the region, reflecting Russia’s expanding influence on the continent.
During a recent official two-day visit to Moscow, Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa said that Russia has a role to play in peacekeeping in the Middle East, adding that an agreement had been reached on the creation of an international peace conference in Bahrain. Following his meeting and talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Bahraini monarch also commented that “Russia is the first country that I am asking to support this conference because, without Russia’s support, this conference has no value.” Meanwhile, news have emerged that representatives from Uganda and Russia recently held talks on the security issues affecting Africa, focusing mainly on conflict hotspots and the likelihood of attaining a resolution to said conflicts.
As a similar conversation on security issues took place recently between Russian officials and the president of the Comoros, this illustrates Moscow’s continued efforts to probe into Africa’s security concerns. With the American troops now on the way out of Niger and the confirmation who are possible being replaced by Russian security forces in the same US-built and run airbase, Ikemesit Effiong, the head of research at Lagos-based consultancy firm SBM Intelligence commented that “Russia has effectively gained the upper hand in the geopolitical arms race in the Sahel and won committed, albeit fragile, allies in the region.”