What is the African Russophony Organization, launched by the Cameroonian Émile Parfait Simb?

Demonstration in support of Russia in Bangui, March 5, 2022 (illustration).

© RFI/Carol Valade

Text by: RFI Follow

2 mins

According to its website, Russophononie Afrique, this association wants to “ 

 ”.

Its promoter: Émile Parfait Simb, the controversial Cameroonian businessman prosecuted for fraud on three continents.

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While Russia is aiming for the possible establishment of the Wagner group in Burkina Faso and St. Petersburg will host the second Russia-Africa summit at the end of July, a new instrument of cooperation has just appeared on the public square.

Its name: the African Organization of Russophony.

The creation of this association last August had gone unnoticed, until the staging of the signing of a partnership, at the end of December, with the Russian University of the Friendship of Peoples, better known by its former name of Patrice Lumumba University, Moscow.

In particular, he promises scholarships, study trips, as well as the opening of a distance learning center and a digital preparatory faculty in Cameroon.

The Russophonie Afrique website is carefully illustrated, but most sections remain empty, five months after it went online.

If the server address is no longer accessible, it would first refer to Russia, according to the newspaper 

.

The postal address and the telephone number are, on the other hand, Central African.

Its promoter, Émile Parfait Simb, travels between Bangui and Moscow thanks to the diplomatic passport issued by the Central African authorities along with his title of adviser to the President of the National Assembly, Simplice Mathieu Sarandji.

During his last visit to Russia, he added that of representative for Central Africa of the BRICS who promised to open an office in the Central African Republic.

Émile Parfait Simb took refuge in Bangui last May to escape Cameroonian justice.

It wanted to know more about the collapse of its financial products which cost its customers dearly.

Hundreds of them are suing him for fraud in Cameroon, but also in Canada, the United States and France.

► To read also: Russia: what strategy in sub-Saharan Africa?

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• Russia

• Cameroon

• Central African Republic