The II Russia-Africa Summit held on July 27 and 28 under the motto “For peace, security and prosperity” has ended in Saint Petersburg.. At the closing conference, President Putin announced the signing of agreements for the supply of defense equipment to forty African countries and has “promised” to provide free agricultural products to a number of countries attending the summit.. He has also taken the opportunity to announce that, to date, and in his own words, he has forgiven 23,000 million dollars of debt to African countries and that, in addition, he is going to invest 90 million dollars this year for development aid in the area.

At first glance, it is a factual policy that speaks of the commitment and involvement of the Russian Federation in Africa, but what lies behind this apparent generosity is the selfish need to improve its much deteriorated image as a result of the results of the war in Ukraine, of a regional power —which believed itself to be global— which only has the recourse of indiscriminate force, because its level of influence is limited to direct support for tyrannies and the confluence with the political and economic interests of autocrats and dictators, all of which is far removed from true solidarity.

The focus of attention represented by the war in Ukraine and the high tension in the Strait of Formosa seems to prevent us from seeing the growing crisis and destabilization that is taking place in Africa, where in a very short time and with little attention paid to it, three coups d'état (Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger) and a civil war (Sudan). In addition, the advance of personalized jihadist Salafism in the different franchises, some alienated with Al Qaeda, and others with Daesh (ISIS), continues to be another cause for concern and instability that hits already weak state structures.. To fill the glass, the impact of climate change in previously depressed areas has finished configuring the perfect storm in countries where the political-administrative structures are impotent to solve even the most pressing needs of their population, being in the process of being failed states.

Based on the fact that Europe, the United States and other countries —with will and capacity— are aware of the magnitude of the problem and its potential for global destabilization, it is imperative to take action to slow down its consequences and reverse them as much as possible.. The level of commitment and the complexity involved in planning an intervention in a continent of the magnitude and diversity that Africa has requires all the talent and all the resources of that group of countries and also sustaining it for as long as necessary. Today, unfortunately, it is not like that; Insufficient aid and gestures of solidarity from the rest of the world do not make up even minimally for the deficiencies experienced by the continent as a whole. The problem of Africa continues to be analyzed as if it were singular and of a purely welfare nature, when what is needed is a total commitment to create infrastructures, help to train ruling elites with standards of merit, capacity and responsibility, and promote the generation of opportunities for the creation of a viable society in origin that does not consider emigration as the only way to survive.

In order to attend to security in the global arena and promote rule-based governance, it is necessary that the firm, continuous and seamless solidarity that manifests itself with Ukraine extends to that continent that feels forgotten, Africa.. We need to convince those countries of the so-called global south that the principles that encourage intervention in Ukraine are the same ones that will be applied to them when they need it and with the same dedication and intensity, otherwise we can err on the side of hypocrites and lose the credit that we have to face future challenges. The commitment must be formalized now, delays are not worth it.