[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 71 (Friday, April 29, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E443-E444]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           COUNTERING MALIGN RUSSIAN ACTIVITIES IN AFRICA ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 27, 2022

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 7311, 
the Countering Malign Russian Activities in Africa Act, which requires 
the Department of State to report to Congress a strategy and 
implementation plan outlining U.S. efforts to counter Russia's malign 
influence and activities in Africa.
  This bill directs the Secretary of State to develop and submit to 
Congress a strategy and implementation plan outlining United States 
efforts to counter the malign influence and activities of the Russian 
Federation and its proxies in Africa.
  Russia has been aggressively pursuing its strategic objectives in 
Africa in recent years by:
  securing a foothold in the eastern Mediterranean,
  gaining naval port access in the Red Sea,
  expanding natural resource extraction opportunities,
  displacing Western influence,
  and promoting alternatives to democracy as a regional norm.
  A report from the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change shows how 
Russia is reviving

[[Page E444]]

Soviet-era ties with African states to extract resources from the 
region, and in exchange, become a security provider.
  Russia has a vested interest in the deployment of private military 
contractors (PMCs) in the region.
  Instead of bringing peace, Russia is thriving on instability in 
African states and among Africa's leadership.
  Africa is home to some of the fast-growing economies in the world and 
is abundant in natural resources.
  With the U.S. and French military draw-down in Africa, Russia is 
looking to prove itself as an alternative.
  Its deployment to Mali in December 2021 demonstrated the rapid 
support Moscow can offer struggling regimes, however Russia is also 
influencing from within.
  Since Putin's embrace of the region in the last decade, political 
strategists have been sent to African governments, including those of 
the Central African Republic (CAR) and Madagascar, to counsel their 
leaders.
  The funding of pro-Russian television channels in Africa and 
electoral interference are other methods to sway sentiment among 
Africans.
  The growing tendency to request PMC support for mounting security 
challenges, as Russian influence increases among African societies, is 
a clear indicator of a deepening authoritarian footprint on the 
continent.
  It seems that African countries are viewed by Russia cynically as 
vehicles for accrual of geostrategic advantage and exploitation rather 
than as partners for legitimate economic investment for trade or 
security assistance.
  The ``partnerships'' that Russia seeks in Africa are not state based, 
but elite based.
  By helping these often illegitimate and unpopular leaders to retain 
power, Russia is cementing Africa's indebtedness to Moscow.
  Russia's engagements are inherently destabilizing for the citizens of 
African countries, resulting in stunted economic development, human 
rights abuses, disenfranchisement of African citizens, the perpetuation 
of illegitimate governments, and social polarization.
  African stability is not a priority for Russia, as it is largely 
pursued on a patron-client basis with compromised African leaders.
  Russia's unofficial strategy runs counter to the interests of many 
African citizens.
  We must work more closely with African members of the UN Security 
Council so that shared interests of security and development are 
advanced at these international assemblies.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in voting for H.R. 7311 because the 
United States can help Africa become less of a permissive environment 
for Russian imperialism.
  It is imperative that we try to help save African stability, 
sovereignty, and democracy.