'Equal Partners': Expert on Cooperation Between Russia and Africa and BRICS Role on Continent

BRICS will certainly bring "a new world order," Diallo said when asked about the bloc's role in Africa, also expressing his support for the idea and vision of the organization.

"We want things to change, and things should change. We cannot leave control of all nations to a single country, and we cannot allow a single country to decide for everyone, control everyone, monitor everyone. Other voices must count," the analyst said.

BRICS can make a significant contribution into the African development and overcome any possible obstacles along the way with "the sincerity and honesty that exist in this organization," Diallo added.

Furthermore, BRICS and Russia in particular are actively promoting international trade in national currencies, thus playing an important role in the process of de-dollarization. The expert praised this trend, saying that the US uses the dollar as a means "to control the world market at all costs." He further added that the nations of the world should "wage this courageous struggle [of de-dollarization] with Russia."

"The dollar is starting to weaken, and we are seeing how this impacts the American economy. So we can only rejoice at this courageous step taken by Russia," Diallo noted.

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Speaking about Russian-African cooperation, the expert stressed that Russia and African countries build relations as equal partners based on mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs. Diallo also said that agriculture is the most promising area of cooperation between Russia and Africa.

"So we would like Russia to share with us its experiences in wheat production and its technological experiences also in several areas, especially in the areas of health, also in the area of research," the columnist said.

Another wide-ranging topic that Sputnik Africa discussed with the expert was the creation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

"It must be said that this alliance was necessary. Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger have the same problem and these three countries today share three borders [that are] coveted by terrorists," Diallo stated.

According to the expert, the recently formed alliance has "erased" the borders between the three countries, allowing the army of one country to pursue terrorists not only on its own territory, but also on the territory of two other countries, which has already borne fruit.

"With AES, there is a lot of potential [...]. We can create a common currency. We can also put in place many initiatives that can benefit our three countries. So, it must be said that the AES has a [bright] future," the analyst pondered.

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The columnist also expressed an interesting point of view on military coups in AES countries that occurred this year. More precisely — on their absence.

"I would like to clarify one point: there was no coup d'état in Niger, nor in Mali, nor in Burkina Faso. There were regime changes [that] came at the initiative of the people of these different nations [who] saw that the people who were chosen as president no longer met their aspirations. They asked to leave, and the soldiers also came to lend a helping hand to these populations," Diallo explained.

The expert emphasized that the new governments were accepted by the population in each country, while no violence was applied to the people. The military authorities are "greatly appreciated" because they make decisions in favor of each of the three peoples, said Diallo.

Moreover, Niger and Mali saw the withdrawal of French and UN forces (as in case of Mali) from their lands. The analyst told Sputnik Africa that the presence of these forces hindered the fight against terrorism in these nations.

"We understood that their [French] presence was to train terrorists and not to fight against terrorism. Their presence was to harbor the terrorists. Their presence also consisted of training and arming the terrorists while weakening the Malian armed forces," he assessed.

The expert also criticized the UN forces stationed in Africa, saying they did not fight terrorists or protect the civilians, according to Diallo.

Thus, the withdrawal of French and UN forces led to only positive outcomes.

"[...] We see the results on the ground, the Malian army is gaining strength and with the win-win partnership between Mali and Russia, we see the result," the columnist argued.

Diallo also exposed the lies of the Westerners who tried to accuse the Russian private military company Wagner of terrorizing the civilian population in order to destroy the partnership between Mali and Russia, which failed.

"The [Malian] population is proud of the army and thanks to the partnership with Russia, Mali was able to acquire air vectors. Mali was able to equip itself with effective weapons, heavy weapons in the fight against terrorism. So, I believe that in terms of security and defense through this partnership with Russia, Mali will be able to achieve its objectives in 2024. There is no 100% security, but I am sure that on this path, terrorists will regret their existence," he concluded.

The last topic, which Sputnik Africa discussed with the expert was the conflicts in Ukraine and Sudan and Africa's mediation in their settlement. Diallo called the African leaders who came up with this initiative "hypocritical" because they "know the truth regarding the Ukraine issue."

"We must tell the truth, it is there. We all face this truth. Europe and the United States wanted to use Ukraine to attack Russia, to weaken Russia on all levels. But their plan failed," the analyst revealed.

He continued by saying that the Africans must "face the truth" and tell the Western leaders that the conflict in Ukraine "was a useless war" and "instead of providing arms aid to Ukraine, it was necessary to [have a dialogue] with Ukraine and Russia."

The expert added that the situation with the conflict in Sudan is very similar, and the leaders of the warring parties "know the causes."

"Today, African leaders must stop being hypocrites, and come together for a better future for Africa and the people of Africa. Today, Africa has all the potential to be able to impose itself, to be able to decide for itself. If African leaders stop underestimating themselves, [and begin] to take the destiny of Africa in [their own] hands, we will be a decision-making continent, a respected continent, a continent that can also impose itself," Diallo concluded.