Many Russian volunteers fought in the Anglo-Boer War of 1899—1902 on the side of the Boers.

During the second half of the 19th century, Russian consulates were opened in the North African countries controlled by Europeans – Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt.

The Russian Empire hoped to enlist the support of the rulers of Morocco, Egypt and Tunisia in the confrontation with the Ottoman Empire. In 1869, diplomatic relations were established with Tunisia, in 1897 – with Morocco, in 1898 – with Ethiopia and the state of the Boer Afrikaners – the Transvaal Republic.

The Russian Black Sea Fleet, which left Sevastopol after the defeat of the «white movement» during the revolution that began in 1917, was evacuated in 1920 to the Tunisian Bizerte.

Russian consulates worked until 1924, and thousands of Russian emigrants scattered through the cities of North Africa, some of whom gained fame in their new homeland.

After the October Revolution of 1917, Russian-African relations practically did not develop; only in 1943 did the Soviet Union manage to establish official relations with Egypt and Ethiopia.

The USSR initiated the adoption the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples by the UN General Assembly in 1960. As African countries gained independence and developed contacts with the USSR, the Soviet country consistently defended their interests in the UN. In particular, in 1973, the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid, proposed by the USSR jointly with Guinea.

In total, the USSR concluded agreements on economic and technical cooperation with 37 African countries. On their basis, Soviet specialists participated in the creation of about 600 enterprises and other facilities in Africa, of which more than 300 were put into operation by the end of the 1980s. With the assistance of the USSR, about 500 thousand African specialists and skilled workers were trained.

After the collapse of the USSR and the reorientation of socialist African states towards cooperation with European countries and the United States, Russian-African ties practically did not develop for a long time. However, during this period relations with South Africa were normalized.

The intensification of bilateral contacts with other African states began only in the late 1990s.

The first Russia-Africa Summit in 2019 made it possible to return Russian-African relations to the center of priorities between Moscow and the African continent.

Task: Make up a plan “ Africa in Russian history».

2023 is the year that has become one of the most successful in Russian-African relations in recent decades.

Russia plans to ensure maximum representativeness in Africa.

On July 27—28, 2023, a Summit of African leaders was held with the participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg.(Рис.4).The event was held on the basis of Expoforum. 17 countries were represented at the level of heads of State. Another 10 African states sent prime ministers to the event in St. Petersburg. Almost half of the summit participants sent delegations at a lower level: 17 of them are headed by deputy prime ministers and ministers, and five are just ambassadors.

Within the framework of the business program of the Second Summit and the Economic and Humanitarian Forum, Russia and Africa discussed the goals and tasks facing Russia and African countries in the era of global change. The issues were discussed by representatives of relevant ministries of the Russian Federation, Russian and African businessmen, experts in the field of international relations.