AFFAIRS
国際問題 INTERNATIONAL
No. 707, June 2022

Focus: The World Facing Africa（Summary）
Essay: A World in Crisis and Africa: For the Future of TICAD
Motoki Takahashi（Professor, Kyoto University, and Professor Emeritus, Kobe University）
The world is facing two crises of Human Security: the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The pandemic had the potential to be a catalyst for collective action by the wholehumankind, but countries have adopted exclusionary defensive measures that have resulted in significant vaccination inequalities between developed countries and Africa. Africa has been extensively
ravaged by war in the past, but the scant attention it has been paid pales in comparison with thatbeing accorded to Ukraine. These two “Apartheids” will need to be overcome. Africa has refrained
from changing its borders, drawn disregarding its history, for the sake of peace and prosperity, andhas been aiming for regional integration. We should listen carefully to Africans’ criticisms of invasions and learn from their thoughts and experiences. If the TICAD process can provide a forum todiscuss regional and global efforts beyond bilateral cooperation in order to expand Human Security
and realize a “dignified life” for individuals, it will show its historical significance in a world of crisis-driven turmoil.

1 Japan’s Policies and Practices for Peace in Africa
Shinichi Takeuchi（Professor, African Studies Center - Tokyo University of Foreign Studies）
The purpose of this paper is to examine Japan’s policies and practices for peace in Africa in relation
to the realities of African conflicts and international efforts for the conflict resolution, thereby identifying the challenges that the country faces. Although intensified armed conflicts epitomized Africa
in the 1990s, low-intensity conflicts in rural areas are the main feature in the recent period. Inresponse, the United Nations and African regional organizations have taken the lead in implementing partnership peace operations. While the opportunities for the use of force has clearly increased
due to the implementation of the principle of impartiality, such operations have not necessarily produced desired results. Having developed policies for peace in Africa since the end of the Cold War,Japan has promoted international peace cooperation with JICA and the SDF as two main actors. In
addition to the necessity of developing legal and institutional frameworks for the participation of theSDF in UN peacekeeping operations, Japan should clarify the aims and principles of its peace policy
and of advocating them to the domestic and international audience.

2 France and the Sahel Crisis
Sadaharu Kataoka（Professor, Faculty of International Research and Education, School ofInternational Liberal Studies, Waseda University）
French President Emmanuel Macron announced the withdrawal of French troops from Mali onFebruary 17, 2022, signaling an end to Operation Barkhane. This military operation, started inAugust 2014 to eliminate Islamic extremists in the Sahel region centered on Mali in West Africa, isthus terminated partway through, having failed to completely stop the terrorist activities of Islamic
extremists in Mali.
More than 10 years have passed since terrorist attacks and killings by jihadists first emerged in
the Sahel region, especially Mali, but terrorist attacks have continued unabated. Across West Africa,
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political instability and social unrest are reaching new heights due to the activities of militantIslamic extremist groups. These jihadist activities have spread beyond Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigerand Mauritania, to the north of Cote d’Ivoire, northern Benin and Ghana, and are having a significant impact on local communities.
Were the military intervention and other measures taken by the international community, led byFrance, a complete failure? While France will continue its military commitments in the Sahel outside of Mali, a fundamental review of the international community’s policy toward the Sahel isurgently needed.

3 New Developments in the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation
Naohiro Kitano（Professor, Waseda University）
The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation（FOCAC）, jointly managed by China’s Ministry ofForeign Affairs and Ministry of Commerce, has served as a platform for cooperation between Chinaand Africa. At the 8th Ministerial Conference of FOCAC（Dakar Conference）in 2021, health andmedical care became the top priority sector against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, andone billion vaccine doses were committed. Numerical targets were set for trade and investment promotion. The scale of financial assistance at $60 billion, pledged at the 2015 Beijing Summit, was notreached, and the level was dropped by $20 billion to $40 billion at the Dakar Conference.
Infrastructure connectivity was not included as a priority item, but African needs in this regard arehigh and financial assistance is expected to continue. FOCAC adopted long-term vison for the firsttime, and other new developments included establishment of a cooperation plan and coordination
mechanism for cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative（BRI）between the National
Development and Reform Commission（NDRC）, which is leading the BRI, and the African UnionCommission（AUC）. With FOCAC and BRI overlapping in Africa, it can be inferred that actors
such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Commerce, and the NDRC are advancing
China-Africa cooperation in cooperation and competition with each other.

4 Russian Policy toward Africa
Yoko Hirose（Professor, Faculty of Policy Management, Keio University）
Russia has been increasing its engagement with Africa in recent years, both formally and informally,
and it has been especially welcomed in countries whose values are incompatible with those of theWest, making skillful use of this receptiveness to its own benefit.
The objectives of Russia’s activities in Africa can be summed up in five points:（1）involving
itself in regional conflicts and expanding its influence;（2）securing military bases;（3）gaining
access to natural resources and mineral concessions;（4）competing with the US, Europe and China;
and（5）securing 54 votes in the United Nations amid international isolation.
Since the October 2019 Russia-Africa Summit, Russia has actively deepened its ties with all
African countries and expanded its presence through financial assistance and economic cooperation,
including debt write-offs. On the other hand, private military companies such as the Wagner Groupare particularly active in the unofficial sphere and, as a “security export,” they are engaged in thedefense of mines, support for local governments, and military training.
The complicated sentiment of African countries toward Russia can be also observed in their attitude to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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5 Ethiopian Civil War: A Long Way to the End
Yuka Kodama（Senior Researcher, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External TradeOrganization）
In November 2020, armed conflict erupted in Ethiopia between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front（TPLF）and the federal government when TPLF forces attacked a federal military base. As a result,the TPLF, which had been the center of power for a long time, was designated as a proscribed terrorist organization. Although the media had reported the political conflict, the sudden armed attacks
on the federal government by the TPLF was not anticipated both at home and abroad. This paper
reviews the background to the TPLF’s marginalization leading up to the civil war and the course of
the civil war. In March 2022, the two sides declared a humanitarian truce, resulting in a temporary
lull.This paper will also examine the possibility of a “national dialogue” that has begun almost
simultaneously with this civil war.

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