Russian Nationals Arrested in Angola Over Alleged Plot to Destabilize Country: Should Cameroon Be Worried?
By Hans Ngala
Two Russian nationals have been arrested in Angola on allegations of criminal association and efforts to incite violent protest. The arrests have reignited concerns about growing Russian influence across Africa — including fears that similar destabilization efforts could target countries like Cameroon, where elections, political dissent, and conflict already create fertile ground for such influence.
Already, a growing number of Cameroonians are joining both the Ukrainian and Russian armies, driven in part by what experts believe to be the lack of opportunities at home and Russia’s growing global influence.
According to French broadcaster, RFI, Lev Lakshtanov, 64, and Igor Racthin were arrested by the Angolan Criminal Investigation Service in the capital Luanda, on suspicion of criminal activities. The men reportedly entered the southern African country on tourist visas and later presented themselves as journalists to Angolan opposition leader, Buka Tanda.
Observers on Russia-Africa relations are weighing in on the arrests, including Blaise Eyong, Cameroon correspondent for German TV, Deutche Welle (DW) who has covered Russia-Africa issues extensively. Eyong believes that “Cameroon has some (security) agreements with the Russians and I think the issue of Cameroonians for example, going to Russia to fight, is something that Cameroonian authorities know about and I don’t know whether they have endorsed it or not, but they know it is happening. We have not heard, for example, that Cameroonian authorities are preventing citizens from travelling to Russia or trying to scrutinize the travel. They’ve only done that for military personnel. So I see this arrest by the Angolans as an effort to separate their country from what is happening in Russia in some ways. But it’s not something I expect to see in Cameroon, because I think Cameroon has a lot of agreements with the Russians. We do a lot of business with the Russians and we want to maintain that relationship”.
He added that the arrests in Angola were “a good thing to prevent Russians doing shady businesses in Angola but when you come to Cameroon, I do not see this happening”.
While Cameroonians are scheduled to head to the polls on October 12 in a high-stakes election that could see incumbent Paul Biya winning an eighth term, veteran Cameroonian journalist and political commentator, Franklin Sone Bayen believes the two Russians arrested in Angola are mercenaries and do not reflect the official stance of the Russian Federation vis-a-viz Africa. Thus, he argues that in the case of Cameroon: “If this election leads to any form of instability, it wouldn’t take Russian mercenaries. It wouldn’t take undercover agents. It will be overt. We (Cameroon) have security agreements and what we call a pact, with Russia and it’s the government that has this pact. Mercenaries would come through non-state movements or undercover agents but this is state-to-state”.
He goes on to clarify that in next-door Central African Republic, it’s not mercenaries. You may have Wagner operating there, but they are more or less officials but they are they on official contract, so it will not be mercenaries or undercover agents coming on behalf of Russia if this country declines into chaos”.
Bayen added that if there was to be internal instability in Cameroon, it would be France (one of Cameroon’s former colonizers) that would intervene, based on existing post-colonial agreements. “I don’t know whether the Angolans have any official pact with Russia but it sounds to me like the individuals arrested there were not official Russian representatives. If such a scenario were to play out in Cameroon, it would be the official Russian army under Putin’s command that would intervene and not mercenaries” he stated.
CNA reached out to the Russian embassy in Yaounde, Cameroon for comment on this topic but the embassy referred us to their colleagues in Luanda, saying they were unaware of the arrests of Lakshtanov and Racthin and were unable to provide comment on the matter.
According to Dr. Kinang Derick Fai, a professor of international politics and conflict resolution who doubles as executive director of Humanity for Peace and Digitalization (HUPED): “One cannot neglect the possibility of the Russians influencing, directly activities in Cameroon, like what they’re doing in Angola. The same scenario the Russians are operating under in Sudan, in Mali, Egypt and many other parts of Africa. One can be very sure such a scenario can repeat itself in Cameroon. If it has not happened, it’s simply because the opportunity has not presented itself. If it has not happened, it’s simply because Russian influence has not been threatened to the point where they need to act, be it in their diplomacy or economics.”
CNA reached out to the Russian embassy in Luanda, Angola for comment on these arrests and their potential implications for Cameroon and the wider West-Central Africa region but at press time, a response had not yet been given. CNA will update accordingly, if and when the embassy does send a response.
