Russian spy chief calls out Western neocolonialism in Africa

Sergey Naryshkin has accused European powers, particularly Britain, Belgium, and France, of “unrestrained exploitation”

The West is continuing to “cause damage to humanity” through neocolonial practices, including looting resources from African countries, Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Director Sergey Naryshkin has said. He cited France as an example, accusing Paris of importing uranium from its former colony, Niger, at extremely low prices for six decades.

Naryshkin made the remarks during a roundtable discussion on the history of the fight against colonialism, organized by the Russian Historical Society (RHS) in Moscow on Tuesday.

“It is enough to recall, for example, how France purchased uranium from Niger for 60 years at a humiliatingly low price – 80 cents per kilogram,” he said.

“But as soon as the French military contingent was withdrawn from this country last year, the price of uranium was raised by the new government to the market price – more than 200 times,” Naryshkin, who is also the chairman of the RHS, added.

Niger’s new leadership, which took power following a coup in July 2023, has taken several measures to cut ties with France. Last year, the military government revoked a license that had allowed French state-owned company Orano to operate one of the world’s largest uranium mines in the West African country – the world’s seventh-largest uranium producer. The miner had been operating in Niger since 1971.

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Niamey also followed in the footsteps of allies in neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali by expelling French military forces, accusing Paris of aggression and meddling in the affairs of their nations. France’s military presence in Africa has been controversial for decades, with critics arguing that it perpetuates neocolonial dynamics. Leaders in countries that have severed defense ties with Paris insist that the presence of French forces has been ineffective, prompting them to seek alternative alliances, including with Moscow.

Russian officials have been vocal about condemning neocolonialism. In a speech at a G20 meeting in South Africa last month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused Western powers of exploiting natural resources from developing countries at low costs, imposing “pseudo-ecological taxes” on their products, and attempting to block cooperation between Africa, Asia, and Latin America with Russia and China.

On Tuesday, Naryshkin condemned European powers such as Britain, Belgium, and France for their “cruelty and unrestrained exploitation of the population in Africa, India, and Southeast Asia” during the colonial era.

“It is necessary to put up a reliable legal barrier to new attempts to revive the system of colonialism, and ideally, even to seek fair compensation for damages,” the SVR director said, adding that Russia is “at the forefront of the struggle for a more just world order.”

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