São Tomé pact with Russia marks a Cold War echo in Africa

The São Tomé and Príncipe islands have entered an indefinite military cooperation agreement with Russia. Experts believe this marks Russia's return to its Cold War roots, as Soviet ships regularly visited the archipelago in the Gulf of Guinea during that period. Moscow is seeking new allies.

The agreement between the former Portuguese colony and Russia allows Russian aircraft and military vessels to be accepted. It includes cooperation in military training, the use of weapons and military equipment, logistics, and exchanging experiences in combating extremism and terrorism.

Some political scientists fear that this agreement could exacerbate the situation in the Gulf of Guinea region, as it involves the African country participating in exercises with the Russian army and accepting Russian military equipment.

Moscow has long been doing everything to take control of Africa and benefit from its rich resources—the Wagner Group, a private military company, specialized in this for years.

The agreement, which has no fixed term, signifies the return of Russian influence to the archipelago formerly belonging to Portugal, which declared independence in 1975 with significant support from Moscow.