The regime s split with the anti-French and pro-Russian Yerewolo – its biggest supporter – may have been provoked by links to Hizbollah, Fear of links to Iran and Hizbollah helped turn interim President Colonel Assimi Goïta s regime against its biggest domestic supporter, and to imprison its leader and harass other senior members of Yerewolo – Debout Sur Les Ramparts ( standing on the ramparts ), according to diplomatic sources.
This week, leaders from 17 African countries will be guests of Vladimir Putin. Alongside Russia, all the major powers are vying for influence and raw materials on the continent. The conditions are increasingly dictated by the Africans themselves, with the West often coming away empty-handed.