The past weeks have seen a “revival” of the Russian-African as the kremlin openly pitched Moscow to African leaders.
It is no secret that the global powers see Africa as strategic to titling the scale of balance in global politics to their favour; after all, the continent holds vast natural and human resources that can offer both industrial and political advantages.
After its ties with African weakened with the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia is trying to stage a comeback on the global political scene with its eyes on Africa as a quick win to weakening the influence of the west. The kremlin is not taking any chances and has his ace up his sleeves.
For many African leaders, the Sochi 2019 Summit which held from October 22-24 was only an opportunity for Russian to discuss possible ways to build its relationship with Africa, but something more sinister could have been set in motion, through the invitation to the summit, that could help Russia have its way on the continent.
African leaders selected to the Russia-Africa Sochi Summit were required to submit their personal data and login in to a web portal from their personal computer by a nation said to have manipulated the United States’ presidential election and whose intelligence is known for hacking highly secured servers to push Moscow’s agenda.
The invitation sent to African leaders and entrepreneurs require both those attending the summit and invitees that would not make it to visit a “personal web office” through a link on the Sochi 2019 website.
According to Russia, the “personal web office” is a personal workspace in the secure section of the Forum website that is developed to store personal data and information or requested services.
It is known fact that a malicious spyware can be installed on a computer by tricking a user to click on a link that will execute a series of predetermined instructions such as stealing emails, contacts, browser history or simply eavesdrop through the microphone, web camera or tracking keypad strokes.
When all fails, could Russia resort to threats, blackmail and espionage to twist the hands of the Africans leaders into submission?
The possibility of the African leaders being hacked and having sensitive personal and national information being harnessed for exploitative ends becomes more likely given the organisation recruited by Russia for the summit.
The kremlin subcontracted the organisation of the Sochi Summit to Roscongress Company which organised the Saint Petersburg Economic Forum, and is known for its close relationship with the Russian State’s services.
The invitees have to create a personal account, with login details provided by Rescongress and afterwards provide information including personal data and phone numbers which becomes dataset accessible to the Russian firm.
At the 2019 Sochi conference the Russian surveillance system and a technology called SORM were installed. The technology allowed the country spy on attendees during the 2014 Olympics games, another red flag that suggests African political and business leaders could now be at jeopardy.
In 2015 Russia CNN reported that Russian hackers were behind the damaging cyber intrusion of the State Department which were used to penetrate sensitive parts of the White House computer system.
The hackers according to the report had access to sensitive information such as real-time non-public details of the president’s schedule, information not classified, but still highly sensitive and prized by foreign intelligence agencies, U.S. officials said
One does not have to be an expert at international politics to know that such cynical moves are justified by actors who believe the means justifies the end when their nation’s interest is concerned.
For Russia the information that could have been tapped into at the 2019 Sochi summit would be more precious that all the oil in Libya and Nigeria, the gold in Egypt or the conflict it exploits in central Africa.
Many African leaders already have enough dirt on their hands and it is known fact that most of the most influential people on the continent are infamous for one corrupt practice or the other. The decadence extends to the highest echelon of power and continental institutions have records of gross misuse of power, sexual harassment, gender discrimination and nepotism.
There are documents suggesting the AU is covering up for some of its top diplomats involved in these kinds of corrupt practices that can potentially see the highest union on the continent become puppet to Moscow.
An inquiry led by Bineta Diop, the AU’s special envoy on women, peace and security which was set up to look at cases of gender discrimination and sexually harassment within the AU based on 88 interviews with AU staffers, has outlined 40 cases of sexual harassment, gender discrimination, nepotism and corruption.
The inquiry was prompted by a petition signed in 2018 by 37 women that alleged “professional apartheid” against women in the commission, and an accompanying Mail & Guardian investigation.
According to the inquiry, sexual harassment is pervasive in the institution with “gatekeepers” demanding sex in exchange for jobs.
The damning evidences also exposes widespread systemic and entrenched corruption which includes bullying, suppression of women, and rampant abuse of authority.
The full report is reported to have been submitted to chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat in November last year but no action has been taken against the perpetrators yet while the whole episode is still kept from the public.
“The commission promised to implement the recommendations of the report, but we have been side-lined and ignored,” a staff of the commission said on conditions of anonymity. “Meanwhile the culprits get to keep their job. It feels like they are trying to cover it up.”
TEMISAN ADIO
Temisan Adio is a social commentator who writes from Lagos
