Russia is working to enhance its economic and military ties in Africa, Moscow has outlined.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declared on Monday that Russia’s presence in Africa is “growing”. The move is part of an ongoing bid by Moscow to step into a geopolitical vacuum in West Africa as Western powers retreat amid a series of military coups in the region.

“We really intend to comprehensively develop our interaction with African countries, focusing primarily on economic and investment interaction,” Peskov told reporters.

“This also corresponds to and extends to such sensitive areas as defence and security,” he added.

Russia’s growing security role in parts of Africa, including in countries such as Mali, Central African Republic and Equatorial Guinea, is viewed with concern by the West,

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