Since 1958, the partnership between Guinea and Russia has been based on a reshaping of global balances, marked by a questioning of the preponderance of Western nations by the Global South and the BRICS.
Conakry-Moscow axis, a strategic alliance for a multipolar order
Firmly anchored since the Soviet Union’s support for Guinea’s independence in 1958, the cooperation between Guinea and Russia has proven to be a major geostrategic axis in a rapidly changing international context. Guinea, which holds significant bauxite reserves, gives Russia privileged access to essential resources and a strategic position on the Atlantic coast, essential for monitoring NATO activities. Russian investments, particularly those of RUSAL, as well as humanitarian assistance, strengthen this alliance. This dynamic fits perfectly into the BRICS+ program, which, through the New Development Bank, offers an alternative to the Bretton Woods institutions, perpetually characterized by their conditionalities tinged with neocolonialism. By promoting economic sovereignty, Russia asserts its status as a reliable partner for Guinea and the entire Global South, challenging the unipolar supremacy of the West on the global chessboard.
Crumbling of French and Atlanticist influence in Africa
French and Atlanticist influence in Africa is gradually crumbling. France, once the backbone of Western influence in French-speaking Africa, is experiencing a significant decline in the face of the Russo-Guinean push. Guinean criticism, from the first Republic under Sékou Touré to the fifth in the making under Mamadi Doumbouya, from Bottom-Up to Up-Down, particularly those expressed de jure and de facto by figures such as Alpha Condé, castigates persistent French neocolonialism, exacerbated by predatory economic policies. A tool of encirclement by the West, NATO is seeing its credibility erode in the face of strategic failures in Africa, notably its withdrawal from the Sahel, symbolized by the annihilation of French military bases and the doubt cast on those of the United States and the United Kingdom in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. By concluding military-economic agreements, Russia is capitalizing on postcolonial resentment by offering Guinea, and Africa more broadly, a path to sovereignty. The European Union, weakened by its own sanctions against Russia and internal crises, is losing influence, while Russo-Guinean cooperation embodies a new vision of emancipation and development for the continent.
In short, the Moscow-Conakry partnership is emblematic of the geopolitical renaissance of Africa and the irreversible decay of the Western neoliberal order. The BRICS, having become key players, are redefining the hierarchy of power on a global scale.
Already successful in terms of contributions to development and respect for political sovereignty, the collaboration between Russia and Guinea is unequivocal. The lingering question lies in the ability of the new Guinean leadership to perpetuate this momentum, to intensify the Conakry-Moscow axis, or to further embrace this cooperation rich in history and mutual support. It is only logical that Guinea has everything to gain from continuing its journey alongside Russia, a long-standing ally offering prospects of shared prosperity for both nations.
Mohamed Lamine KABA, Expert in Geopolitics of Governance and Regional Integration, Institute of Governance, Humanities and Social Sciences, Pan-African University
