Africa-Press – Botswana. The head of European diplomacy acknowledged yesterday that the European Union must “do more” in Africa to “win over minds” in the face of Russian propaganda, attributing the reluctance of some African countries to condemn the war in Ukraine to historical reasons.
During a debate in the European Parliament, in the French town of Strasbourg, the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, asked how the European Union can counter the ‘sympathy’ that Russian President Vladimir Putin enjoys in the African continent, began by noting that “some [African] countries have a very clear position and condemned Russia in the United Nations General Assembly”, but admitted that “others did not, they abstained”.
“The Russian narrative [in Africa] finds an echo that is undoubtedly related to other times in history. Do not forget that the Soviet Union was one of the great allies of some African countries in the fight against colonial rule or against apartheid, and that remained. It remained in the vision that many African countries have of the world”, he said.
“This for us should be an opportunity for us to understand our role in the world and not take for granted that, as we are right, others are willing to automatically agree with us”, he continued.
The head of EU diplomacy recognized then that “more needs to be done, a more active, more present, more reasoned diplomacy needs to be done”.
“[We must] not give lessons, nor take for granted that we are right. We must, rather, conquer the minds, because Russian propaganda there is very, very potent,” he declared.
On the occasion of the ‘rentrée’ meeting of the European Union’s heads of diplomacy, last 31 August in Prague, the Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs, João Gomes Cravinho, defended that the EU should invest in an intense dialogue with African partners to counter the Russian “big investment” in disinformation in Africa, in what he admitted was an “unequal fight”.
Speaking at the end of the informal meeting in Prague, which included a debate on relations between the EU and Africa and the fight against disinformation promoted by Russia on the African continent, among the items on the agenda, João Gomes Cravinho said that, regarding this last issue, “Of course there is concern”, as in various parts of the African continent it is possible to see “a great investment [Russian] in disinformation, in the propagation of false messages and in the creation of negative dynamics in relation to Europe”.
“In terms of disinformation, it’s an unequal fight, because we fight according to the rules. We try to show the truth, and that’s something that is limited, as long as Russia doesn’t shy away from inventing all kinds of narratives that can have some traction at the local level, and which are very difficult to combat, except on a case-by-case basis,” he declared.
However, he noted, “there is nothing like dialoguing, talking, maintaining an intensity of contact with African colleagues to help find solutions”.
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