Africa’s Geopolitical Shift: BRICS, Coups, and China’s Silent Expansion By NMCL Paper | June 29, 2025

🌍 Africa’s Geopolitical Shift: BRICS, Coups, and China’s Silent Expansion

By NMCL Paper | June 29, 2025

🔎 Lead: A New Power Bloc Rises Across Africa

As military coups, economic shifts, and strategic alliances reshape Africa, one thing is clear: the continent is drifting away from Western influence and increasingly aligning with BRICS nations — especially China and Russia. From Mali to Mozambique, the geopolitical gravity is shifting, and Africa is becoming a new arena for 21st-century global competition.

🛡️ Coups and Realignment: West Africa Rejects the West

Between 2020 and 2024, at least six African nations experienced military coups, many of them in former French colonies. Countries like Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have expelled French troops, shut down Western media, and invited new players — particularly Russia’s Wagner Group and Chinese infrastructure funding.

In 2023, Niger ended military cooperation with France and turned to BRICS countries for economic and security support.

These governments increasingly reject what they see as Western neocolonialism, replacing it with sovereign partnerships — even if authoritarian.

🔗 China’s Infrastructure, Russia’s Security

  • China’s BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) continues to dominate African infrastructure:
    • $154 billion invested across 45 countries
    • Ports in Kenya, highways in Nigeria, power projects in Ethiopia
  • Russia is filling the security vacuum:
    • Wagner forces in Mali and Central African Republic
    • Arms deals and military training in exchange for mineral rights
“Africa is no longer the backyard of any power,” said a BRICS ambassador in Johannesburg. “It is the center of global transformation.”

🧭 BRICS Outreach to Africa

BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) is expanding its footprint across Africa. In 2023–2024 alone:

  • 17 African countries applied to join BRICS+
  • Egypt, Ethiopia, and Algeria were invited to the 2024 summit in South Africa
  • The BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) launched infrastructure funding in Africa

This push signals serious intent to de-dollarize African trade and shift political alignment away from the West.

💡 Why the West Is Losing Ground

Many African nations view the U.S. and Europe as:

  • Slow to invest and full of political conditions
  • More focused on democracy than infrastructure
  • Unreliable after failed military interventions (Libya, Sahel)

BRICS, in contrast, offers non-interference, capital, and speed.

“The West offers debate. BRICS offers concrete,” said an African trade minister anonymously.

🌐 Strategic Implications

  • China secures raw materials and long-term allies
  • Russia builds influence and arms networks
  • Africa becomes a swing continent in a multipolar world

If BRICS succeeds in unifying trade and political support, Africa could become the largest voting bloc at the UN, and a continent trading in yuan, rupees, and rubles — not dollars.

📎 Further Reading:

⚖️ Disclaimer

The information presented in this article is based on publicly available sources and recent developments at the time of writing. NMCL Paper provides independent reporting on global strategic affairs and takes no position on government ideologies or alliances.

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