Borrell accuses Russia of fueling coups in Africa and of using these countries "as pawns"

BRUSSELS, Aug. 2 (EUROPA PRESS) -

The High Representative for Foreign Policy of the European Union, Josep Borrell, has accused Russia on Wednesday of "feeding" coups in African countries, after the one experienced last week in Niger, and of using these countries "as pawns". in his "world chess game".

In a text published on his personal blog following the situation in Niger, where members of the Presidential Guard have removed the president, Mohamed Bazoum, who is being held at his residence, the head of European diplomacy has pointed out the role of Moscow encouraging coups in the region, after those also registered in Burkina Faso, Sudan or Mali.

"For some years now, Vladimir Putin's Russia has been fueling these coups with its misleading propaganda and benefiting from the establishment of these military regimes with their private militias that plunder the region's wealth," Borrell has criticized, who has indicated that these countries are running into a "dead end".

According to the High Representative, Russia's "miraculous economic promises" are "never fulfilled" and the security situation deteriorates. "The facts speak for themselves: in Mali, terrorist attacks and atrocities against the population have multiplied since Wagner's arrival," he said, referring to the private Russian company with which Moscow maintains influence in several African countries.

Borrell has thus raised his voice against the recurring criticism from Sahel countries and their military regimes about alleged interference by the EU. He stressed that the European bloc maintains its presence in coordination with the local authorities, always respects their sovereign decisions and that the "only interference" is that of the military who overthrow an elected president and that of "an imperialist Russia that wants to use these regimes like pawns in their world chess game".

The Niger military junta, known as the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Fatherland (CNSP), announced on Tuesday night the opening of the air and land borders with Algeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Libya and Mali, which remained closed since the riot.

The military coup has once again fueled concerns about political instability in Niger, a country that has been rocked by four other coups since it gained independence from France in 1960, as well as several failed attempts, the last of them in 2021, days before Bazoum took office.