The Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/3188 of 16 December 2024, enforcing Regulation (EU) 2024/2642, introduces targeted restrictive measures against individuals and entities involved in destabilizing activities attributed to the Russian Federation. A significant portion of these measures addresses actions specifically related to Africa.
The sanctions reveal a distinct African dimension, structured around two key axes:
Disinformation and information manipulation
- Artem Sergeevich Kureev, an officer of the Russian FSB, founded media outlets in Africa and conducted deliberate disinformation campaigns aimed at undermining Western health projects by promoting conspiracy theories, such as accusations that Africa is being used for biological warfare experiments and illicit drug trials by Western companies (“spreading conspiracy theories such as the alleged use of Africa for biological warfare experiments”) (p. 2).
- Harouna Douamba, an Ivorian businessman, heads a pro-Russian, anti-Western disinformation network in the Central African Republic and Burkina Faso. His NGO, Aimons Notre Afrique (ANACOM), received funding from Lobaye Invest, linked to the Wagner Group, and he later established the Groupe Panafricain pour le Commerce et l’Investissement (GPCI), involved in covert influence operations against Western countries (p. 12).
- The African Initiative, a Moscow-registered media outlet active on the African continent, has promoted pro-Kremlin narratives and propaganda, organized press tours for African journalists in occupied Ukrainian territories, and facilitated events serving Russian state interests, including access to mineral resources (p. 17).
Military interference and resource exploitation
- Andrey Vladimirovich Averyanov, commander of GRU Unit 29155, assumed leadership over Russian military operations in Africa after the Wagner Group’s restructuring. Russian forces under his command support military juntas that have overthrown democratic governments, worsening regional instability. Notably, in early 2024, they seized control of the Intahaka gold mine in Mali (p. 5).
Designated legal entities
- The Groupe Panafricain pour le Commerce et l’Investissement (GPCI), based in Lomé, Togo, remains active in coordinated disinformation campaigns targeting Western countries, particularly France. Despite Meta dismantling its networks in 2023, GPCI continues to operate and is funded indirectly by the Wagner Group (p. 16).
- The African Initiative is designated for conducting Russian state-sponsored disinformation in Africa, recruiting journalists and influencers, and promoting narratives supportive of Moscow’s foreign policy (p. 17).
The EU’s sanctions underscore growing concern over Russia’s hybrid influence operations in Africa, involving propaganda, disinformation, and the economic and military exploitation of unstable contexts. These actions reflect the geopolitical relevance of Africa in the broader confrontation between Russia and the West, where third countries become arenas of strategic contestation through soft power, covert influence, and hard security entrenchment.