Africa Feeds Russia’s War Machine in Ukraine

Welcome to Next Africa, a daily newsletter on where the continent stands now — and where it’s headed. Sign up here. In today’s edition, we look at:

The Russian military’s African recruitment driveA standoff over the national budget in Senegal The furor embroiling French soccer star Mbappé

Unwitting Recruits

Russia is running short of troops to fight Ukraine and is increasingly turning to Africa to help fill the void.

A presentation obtained by Bloomberg from sources close to Ukraine’s intelligence services and a separate report by a special commission set up by the United Nations show Russia’s armed forces are enlisting thousands of foreigners. Many are recruited through a network of agents who falsely promise civilian jobs in Russia and substantial sign-on bonuses. Yet once they arrive they are pressured into joining the military.

Burundi and Zimbabwe are among countries that saw an exponential rise in the number of their citizens recruited, while Madagascar is being targeted for the first time, the intelligence presentation shows.

The UN panel found that Russia has committed human-rights violations and trafficked men from at least 29 countries into its army. And most of those, it says, have been deployed to the frontline with almost no training. Many have been killed.

While reports of Russia enlisting Africans have circulated for several years, the scale of its drive has now been laid bare. Some 699 Burundians were signed up in the first nine months of the year, up from 30 last year, as were 530 Zimbabweans.

By contrast, recruitment has virtually stopped from countries such as Kenya, Ghana and South Africa that stood up for their nationals by challenging Moscow directly or warning the public against bogus employment offers.

But most governments have been largely unresponsive as their citizens unwittingly headed to war.

Just six of the 69 countries the UN commission approached for information replied.

What Everyone’s Reading

Africa’s biggest initial public offering has already secured sufficient commitments to meet its fundraising target, sources say. That’s setting up a likely allocation squeeze as international institutions race to secure a stake in Aliko Dangote’s refinery business, which looks set to be valued at almost $50 billion.

South Africa will deploy troops in the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province to help maintain security as the country prepares for Nov. 4 municipal elections. President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered 510 soldiers to be stationed in the region through the end of next month. The decision was taken “in light of recent violent actions arising from a campaign of misinformation” about migrants, his office says.

The Islamic State-backed Allied Democratic Forces is financing itself through gold mined in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo exported through Uganda, according to a report by The Sentry. The rebels, who are considered a terrorist organization by the US, also make money from cocoa production, racketeering and kidnapping, it says.

Senegal’s prime minister expects to resolve a stand-off over the budget within days as the authorities seek approval for a new IMF program. Lawmakers are set to review the spending proposals on Tuesday, with a vote likely by early next week, Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo says in an interview. President Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s administration is at odds with the largest party in parliament over revisions to the budget.

Morocco overtook South Africa to become the continent’s fourth-most attractive investment destination as years of industrialization and faster growth propelled it ahead of the region’s biggest economy, Rand Merchant Bank says. Seychelles, Mauritius and Egypt retain their positions at the top of the ranking of 31 nations for the third year running.

Guptas’ Johannesburg Homes on Sale as Stigma Dampens InterestWebuild, Odebrecht in Line to Build Key African Rail Line

What to Know

Why Anthropic’s IPO Is Such a Big DealIn late 2020, a group of senior OpenAI employees unhappy with what they saw as the company’s failure to adequately prioritize artificial-intelligence ethics and safety left the firm to form Anthropic. Just a few years later, the upstart has become an AI behemoth that’s expected to hold one of the largest and most closely watched IPOs in history.

Last Word

French soccer star Kylian Mbappé is facing a mounting backlash in China after he made comments perceived as insulting to Mao Zedong. Several companies dropped him as ambassador, while state TV has reportedly removed advertisements featuring him and stopped airing matches involving him. The furor erupted over remarks he made while discussing an internet meme that appeared to depict Mao, modern China’s founding father.

We’ll be back in your inbox with another edition tomorrow. Send any feedback to nextafrica@bloomberg.net.

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