MOSCOW – In an atmosphere of Moscow's distance from the West and towards the East and Africa, the visit of South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit to Russia came amid rapid and fateful geopolitical changes sweeping the black continent, represented primarily by the success of military coups and rebellions against the authorities affiliated with France and against Paris itself, as happened in Niger, Gabon, Mali and Burkina Faso.

Kiir's visit on Thursday was the first of its kind to Russia since he took office in the country after secession from Sudan in the summer of 2011, and almost two months after the Russian-African summit in St. Petersburg, which Kiir did not attend personally, which was interpreted at the time as the result of Western pressure.

But explanations for South Sudan's absence from the major event in Russian-African relations are now in doubt as he arrives in the Russian capital and meets with President Vladimir Putin, raising the question of whether the two countries are on the cusp of a new type of relationship that goes beyond traditional economic cooperation and the constraints of European and American positions.

Mutual interest

During his meeting with Kiir, the Russian president noted that relations with South Sudan are developing "very intensively", and recalled that Russia was one of the first countries to recognize the sovereignty and independence of South Sudan, adding that much remains to be done, especially in the field of economic development.

Putin also stressed that "this is only the beginning, and we have many good opportunities in a variety of fields including energy, trade and economy."

Russia's relations with South Sudan date back to 2011, when the state of South Sudan was established, when former President Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree recognizing the new state and declaring diplomatic relations with it.

Economic cooperation between the two countries began to take on a new dimension after the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between the ministries of energy in them, before the level of interaction between the two sides increased to include cooperation in other sectors such as industry, trade, medicine, education and others.

Besides political factors, the expansion of the anti-Western popular mood – Russia's adversary – and the absence of a colonial legacy or memory of Moscow in this part of the world, as in the case of France and Britain, the continent is a store of land in terms of wealth.

International political alliances and economic cooperation are key dimensions in the relationship between Moscow and Juba, analysts say (Reuters).

Strategic Investment

Russian experts consider that the shift in the compass of international alliances of African countries towards Russia, including South Sudan, will be characteristic of the next stage, which witnesses, according to their estimates, intense competition between leading countries, especially China, the United States and Western countries.

According to African affairs expert Vyacheslav Tkachenko, Juba needs Moscow's support in the UN Security Council on the lifting of sanctions and arms embargoes, and is also preparing for the post-decline phase of French and American influence, which gives the visit the character of a prelude to a greater rapprochement with Moscow with the possibility of mutual strategic investment.

Moreover, Tkachenko argues, in an interview with Al Jazeera Net, that experience, industrialization, military and energy capabilities in exchange for the unbridled desire for independence, are factors that make Russia a unique model, nominating it to play the role of the sole guarantor of food security in Africa.

But he points out that South Sudan is one of the most difficult countries in terms of security, which was confirmed by the United Nations mission there, in terms of the high cases of killings and kidnappings, most of which are by local militias or civil defense groups, as well as the continuous clashes and the state of hostility between tribes, which is likely to emerge a future role for the "Wagner" Group in the candidate country to be an ally of Moscow.

The importance of Juba to Moscow

On the other hand, political analyst Igor Maltsev believes that South Sudan is for Russia an important market for agricultural goods, weapons, ferrous metals, energy and engineering products, and is part of the African political component represented by 54 members of the United Nations, which may be important for Moscow in discussing issues of interest to it in the General Assembly of the international organization.

Maltsev says a bolstered Russian presence in South Sudan would resolve Russia's currently stalled plans to set up a naval ship repair centre in Sudan due to ongoing clashes there between the army and the RSF.

He adds that the population of East Africa is increasing, and therefore its markets are expanding, as adjacent to South Sudan there is an important Ethiopia for Russia, and there is also an active presence in Djibouti, and Moscow enjoys good relations with Egypt and Algeria, and therefore South Sudan can be seen as an independent country and a promising partner, even if building relations with it requires starting from scratch, especially since President Salva Kiir's visit to Moscow is from the point of view of diplomacy a very good signal.