DISINFO: EU humanitarian aid to Africa is plundering in disguise unlike Russia's
SUMMARY
Russia's support to African countries through free grain deliveries is selfless, unlike the support of the former colonial masters, who pay for the plunder of the continent in the past and future. […] When they give corn, wheat or any other type of gift to African countries they colonised, it is like giving back what they took. But what they give back with a spoon, they take away with a shovel. When Russia gave, it took nothing back.
[…] Developing countries are safer in the hands of their friends like Russia, India and China. The West stole grain from the Black Sea initiative, so Russia decided to give the aid directly to the countries in need without neo-colonialist schemes.
RESPONSE
Recurrent pro-Kremlin narrative about European neo-colonialism.
The EU and Africa have a long and strong partnership founded on geography, acknowledgment of history, human ties, respect for sovereignty, mutual respect and accountability, shared values, equality between partners and reciprocal commitments. The EU aims to be the driving force in promoting common priorities:
"The security and prosperity of our citizens, the protection of human rights for all, gender equality and women's empowerment in all spheres of life, respect for democratic principles, good governance and the rule of law, actions to preserve the climate, environment and biodiversity, sustainable and inclusive economic growth, the fight against inequalities, support for children’s rights, and the inclusion of women, young people and the most disadvantaged. We recognise the importance of food security and nutrition."
Concerning humanitarian aid, at around EUR 20 billion a year, the EU’s assistance to Africa is the most important single aid flow globally. The discussion on this Sputnik programme concerns the delivery of 25,000 tons of humanitarian aid from Russia to Somalia, representing about 60 million dollars.
The idea that EU aid is compensation for what it stole in the past and what it will steal in the future, while Russia establishes only relations that are profitable for African people, is a Kremlin trope that does not correspond to reality. Russia exports grain stolen from Ukraine (see also this article from the Guardian) and Russia's withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative was not to defend the interests of African countries.
EU High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security policy Josep Borrell wrote:
"As the world deals with disrupted supplies and higher prices, Russia is now approaching vulnerable countries with bilateral offers of grain shipments at discounted prices, pretending to solve a problem it created itself".
Furthermore, regarding Russia being a safe pair of hands for developing countries, commenting on the July 2023 military coup in Niger, Josep Borrell wrote that a visible interference was:
"Imperialist Russia which wants to use these regimes as pawns in its global chess game. For several years, in fact, Vladimir Putin's Russia has been fuelling these coups with its false propaganda and profiting from the installation of these military regimes with its private militias which are plundering the region's wealth".
Read also related cases such as: The EU is against democracy in Africa, The hand of the West is behind terrorism in Africa, Western countries are rich because they keep Africa in poverty, Moscow did not extend the grain deal because only the West benefited.