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Ukrainian Neo-Nazis Coming to Africa? Expert Warns of Destabilization Plot by West

© AP Photo / Rebecca BlackwellIn this March 27, 2012 file photo, boys play soccer in a dusty lot in central Bamako, Mali.
In this March 27, 2012 file photo, boys play soccer in a dusty lot in central Bamako, Mali.  - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 17.08.2023
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Earlier this week, a military-diplomatic source revealed to the media that the UK's Secret Intelligence Service, known as MI6, had cobbled together a sabotage unit of 100 fighters, consisting of members of Ukrainian nationalist and neo-Nazi formations, to be sent to Africa on missions against Russia-friendly states.
Africa could once again suffer the consequences of the conflict in Ukraine with the arrival of Western-trained Ukrainian mercenaries on the continent, Souleyman Amazat, a Beninese consultant on security and terrorism issues, revealed in an interview with Sputnik.
According to the expert, African countries risk new destabilization attempts by Ukrainian mercenaries trained in the West. This information is already "known to various intelligence services in Mali, Guinea and Burkina," he noted, adding that these Ukrainian nationalists will specifically target prominent figures of the Pan-African movement.

"If the information we have about Ukrainian mercenaries preparing to intervene to target leaders of the Pan-African movement is verified, then our intelligence services must be able to assume their responsibilities [...] From a strategic point of view, we also understand that these mercenaries will have weapons in a bag. Do you understand what I mean? The weapons sent by those who we know," he said.

Fighters from territorial self-defense units during training in the Belgorod region, Russia.  - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 12.08.2023
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Continuous Looting

These destabilization maneuvers also reflect the neocolonial vision that the West is practicing on the continent, Amazat further elaborated. The former colonial powers are still trying to take control of Africa's natural resources and continue to plunder the continent "to supply Europe."

"There's no hiding the fact that the Western agenda, particularly the French and British, is one of destruction [...]. Westerners have an interest in doing this kind of thing to perpetuate this inadmissible, unacceptable exploitation that is slavery, then colonization and today neo-colonization. But Africa is standing up now [...]," he emphasized.

However, the continent is now experiencing a "patriotic awakening", he said, stressing that Africans no longer want "to be plundered." In this light, the West intends to destabilize Africa and "stifle this emerging voice of Pan-Africanism, which today remains the only solution to free us from this colonial imbroglio."
At the same time, Amazat noted, Russia seems to have a completely different approach to the continent, as it has never resorted to this kind of destabilization maneuvers. He recalled that during the time of the USSR, the Soviet Union helped Africa put an end to the West's colonial rule of the continent. He noted that some African countries were able to gain their independence with the material, military and financial support from the Soviets.

"We know that Russia has never tried to colonize a state. It has been a fairly free Federation since the fall of the USSR. There was also an aid relationship with Africa at the time of the Soviet Union," he added.

The expert also touched upon the topic of arms flows diverted from Ukraine to land on the continent. According to Amazat, this is another issue of concern, as these weapons may end up in the hands of terrorists, who have long been destabilizing the region.

"Weapons from major powers like France, the United Kingdom, the United States, are on our soil […]. Our intelligence services have been mulling over the origin of these weapons, and also about the purpose and the ends behind this disbursement," he said.

Protesters hold an anti-France placard during a demonstration on independence day in Niamey on August 3, 2023. Security concerns built on August 3, 2023 ahead of planned protests in coup-hit Niger, with France demanding safety guarantees for foreign embassies as some Western nations reduced their diplomatic presence.  - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 16.08.2023
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African leaders have repeatedly pointed out that the weapons supplied by the West to Ukraine are ending up in the hands of terrorist groups in Africa, and that the continuation of such supplies will cause many more problems around the world.

Coups or Awakenings?

Commenting on the political upheavals taking place in several African countries, particularly in Niger, Amazat said that he viewed these events as above all an "awakening of the people". According to him, African populations are rising up against corrupt elites who are "totally out of touch" with economic realities and the suffering of the poorest.

"No African country desires a coup […]. The coups that we experienced in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso, followed other coups that we will call unconstitutional [...]. More and more people are waking up and supporting those who are pulling off these coups today," he elaborated.

It is therefore normal for the army, which is "derived from the people", to assume its responsibilities in certain countries in order to support the people "who demand justice," Amazat stressed. It is now up to the rulers to promote the interests of their country, instead of trying to play "white-collar democrats" within the framework imposed by the West.

"Our Heads of State and Government will have to return to normal and tell themselves that they are there to serve people, not to oppress them," Amazat specified.

The expert concluded by citing Thomas Sankara, a Burkinabe military officer, Marxist revolutionary and Pan-Africanist, who once said: "Misfortune to those who gag the people!"
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