Mapping Chinese and Russian Military and Security Exports to Africa

Cortney Weinbaum, Melissa Shostak, Chandler Sachs, John V. Parachini

ToolPublished Dec 13, 2022

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Military weapons exports and private military and security contractors (PMSCs) are important tools for projecting a country's influence around the world. Both China and Russia are among the top five countries that export major arms, and both countries have employed PMSCs across Africa. To map the spread of China's and Russia's influence in Africa, RAND researchers analyzed which African countries received weapons and PMSCs from China and Russia during 2018–2021. The result is this visualization, which shows that both countries have been exporting defense and security influence widely across the continent.

Where Are China and Russia Exporting Military and Security?

Russian PMCs or weapon exports or Chinese PSCs or weapon exports (only one country reported)

  • Botswana
  • Burundi
  • Comoros
  • Côte d'Ivoire
  • E. African Coast
  • Eritrea
  • Gabon
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • Madagascar
  • Mauritania
  • Niger
  • Republic of the Congo
  • Swaziland
  • Togo
  • Zimbabwe

Russian PMCs and weapon exports (no Chinese activities reported)

  • Burkina Faso
  • Equatorial Guinea

Russian PMCs or weapon exports and Chinese PSCs or weapon exports (one type of activity from each country)

  • Chad
  • DRC
  • Guinea
  • Kenya
  • Libya
  • Rwanda
  • Somalia
  • South Africa
  • South Sudan
  • Tanzania

Russian PMCs and/or weapon exports and Chinese PSCs and/or weapon exports (three of the four types of activities)

  • Djibouti
  • Mali
  • Mozambique

Russian and Chinese PMSCs and weapon exports (all four types of activities)

  • Algeria
  • Angola
  • CAR
  • Egypt
  • Ethiopia
  • Nigeria
  • Sudan
  • Zambia

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RAND Style Manual
Weinbaum, Cortney, Melissa Shostak, Chandler Sachs, and John V. Parachini, Mapping Chinese and Russian Military and Security Exports to Africa, RAND Corporation, TL-A2045-3, 2022. As of September 12, 2024: https://www.rand.org/pubs/tools/TLA2045-3.html
Chicago Manual of Style
Weinbaum, Cortney, Melissa Shostak, Chandler Sachs, and John V. Parachini, Mapping Chinese and Russian Military and Security Exports to Africa. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2022. https://www.rand.org/pubs/tools/TLA2045-3.html.
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This research was sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and conducted within the International Security and Defense Policy Center of the RAND National Security Research Division (NSRD).

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