Top U.S. & Russian Officials Tour Africa Amid Competition For Influence

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has arrived in South Africa today, a day after the departure Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. For Yellen, this is the final stop of her tour of the continent, with President Joe Biden due to follow suit later this year. Lavrov headed further to Eswatini, Botswana and Angola and will return for another leg of his tour later in the year.

• Both powers have launched charm offensives amid the polarisation caused by Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Moscow has leveraged the history of Western colonialism in Africa to position itself as an advocate for the continent's autonomy. It has also built military relations with a number of African countries, providing them with weapons and private military contractors.
• The U.S. is looking to make up for its earlier perceived neglect of the continent and showcase the advantages of maintaining bonds with the West. It is also seeking to counter the growing Chinese influence, with Beijing increasing its economic footprint in the continent by boosting business and infrastructure investment across the continent in the recent years.
• Russia's international isolation following its attack on neighbouring Ukraine created an incentive for Moscow to seek alternative partnerships, while the U.S. seeks to expand and consolidate the coalition of states condemning the Russian invasion. Although Yellen rejected attempts to frame the purpose of her visit as a "competition" with Russia or China, Africa has become one of the key diplomatic battlegrounds between the U.S. and its rivals.