In light of the escalation of Western sanctions against Russia, especially the economic ones, Moscow's plans,
which it has been building silently and secretly over the past 8 years, have begun to unfold, perhaps the most prominent of which is building large reserves of African and Sudanese gold in particular to mitigate the impact of the sanctions it expected.
Within 8 days of Russian military operations in Ukraine, Western powers announced a package of severe economic sanctions against Russian financial institutions as well as prominent political figures, in order to curb their military operations on Ukrainian soil.
While the severity of the sanctions is escalating day by day, some intelligence and media reports have begun to grab the headlines of Western newspapers, which recently revealed the impregnable economic fortress that Moscow has begun to build since its annexation of Crimea in 2014. A report published by the British newspaper " Daily Telegraph " on Thursday under the title "How Putin prepared for sanctions with tons of African gold."
Confirming the allegations it made in the report, the newspaper referred to the visit of General Hemedti, Vice-President of the Sudanese Sovereign Council, to Moscow last week while Russian forces were pouring across the border into Ukraine, in another sign of the strength of bilateral relations between the two countries, which allowed Russia to become the largest foreign player. In the huge mining sector in Sudan.
Strict western sanctions
In conjunction with Moscow’s announcement of its recognition of the independence of both Lugansk and Donetsk, the West immediately began to tighten the noose on Moscow politically and economically, even sportingly and culturally. Some Russian banks from the "SWIFT" system for global money transfers.
The sanctions also included freezing the assets of prominent politicians in the Kremlin, led by President Vladimir Putin and his Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in addition to listing Sergei Shoigu, the Russian Defense Minister. They are included in the travel ban and asset freeze lists in the European Union and the United States.
Successive sanctions packages affected Russian airlines, by preventing them from flying in European and American airspace. It also froze assets owned by the Russian Central Bank, and the sanctions targeted 70 percent of Russian financial markets and major state-owned companies, including companies owned by the Ministry of Defense.
"Golden Fortress of Russia"
According to the British newspaper, Russia has smuggled hundreds of tons of illegal gold from Sudan over the past few years as part of a broader effort to build a "Russian fortress" and stave off the possibility of increased Ukraine-related sanctions.
The Kremlin has more than quadrupled the amount of gold in Russia's central bank since 2010, enabling Moscow to create a "war fund" by blending foreign imports and massive domestic gold reserves, with Russia being the world's third largest gold producer.
While gold exceeded dollar reserves for the first time as of June 2020, as gold bullion accounted for more than 23% of the total reserves, which rose to $630 billion until last month, official statistics indicate that Sudan exports almost no gold to Russia, which is An executive of one of the largest Sudanese gold companies denied what the Telegraph newspaper, claiming that about 30 tons are being transported to Russia every year from Sudan.
How did Rosa become the most important player in the mining field in Sudan?
Experts quoted by the British newspaper say the Wagner Group, a private military company run by people close to the Kremlin, is training Hemedti's Rapid Support Forces, a large paramilitary organization that sits alongside the regular army in Sudan.
Experts point out that the two heavily armed groups have worked together to secure important gold mines for Russian mining companies in Sudan, where security is weak in remote areas.
While observers see that Sudan is the most important source of African gold for Russia, but it is not the only country on the Kremlin’s radar, attributing this to Russian influence on the brown continent at the expense of the erosion of French influence, which Moscow exploits to mitigate the impact of sanctions through its attempts to enter countries that have natural resources. enormous and help it increase its mineral reserves.
Mali in shock after Mondoro attack
Malians are in shock after the attack on Friday morning against the Mondoro military camp in the center of their country which claimed the lives of at least 27 soldiers while 33 others were injured. Even if 47 attackers were neutralized.
However, the ruling junta had reassured about its ability to fight against the armed groups that have been scouring entire parts of the country since 2012, the populations no longer hide their apprehension.
" We are very worried because other attacks cannot be ruled out in this area. The area is highly threatened ," said Oumar Ongoïba , secretary general of the Association des jeunes pour le développement de Mondoro.
A three-day national mourning was decreed by the Malian government from this Saturday. The populations live in fear of a new attack.
"It's sad what happened in Mondoro, but it was to be expected. Because we are facing people at the invisible limit. We are facing people called terrorists who are there and who are in danger. perdition, so ready to do anything to defend themselves," explains Mohamedy Dioula Dramé , a resident of Mondoro.
On Saturday, the United Nations mission in Mali condemned the Mondoro attack, while reiterating ''its commitment alongside the Malians in their legitimate quest for peace and stability''.
Burkina Faso: the government of the transition unveiled
Burkina Faso has a new government team. The first of the post-Roch era Marc Christian Kaboré, ex-president overthrown at the end of January.
The new executive appointed on Saturday by the president of the transition, Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo , has 25 members.
With in particular as Minister of Defense, General Barthélémy Simporé , who already occupied this chair under Roch Marc Christian Kaboré .
Actors from civil society also feature in the new team which includes 6 women including Olivia Rouamba who inherits Foreign Affairs.
Already on Thursday, Albert Ouédraogo , a 53-year-old academic, had been appointed Prime Minister.
Among the government's challenges is the fight against jihadism and the rebuilding of the state. While the country adopted a transition period of 36 months. Even if the community of West African States has not yet decided on the duration of this period.
ECOWAS has deemed "unacceptable" that of five years set by Mali, and continues to demand a timetable from Guinea, which refuses to be imposed any deadline.