JOHANNESBURG – Russia and the Southern African Development Community have extended their long-standing military and technical cooperation agreements to 2028, signalling deepening strategic ties between Moscow and the Southern African regional bloc amid growing geopolitical competition on the African continent.
The renewed partnership, first formalised in 2018, now moves into what officials described as a more practical implementation phase focused on operationalising previous commitments in defence, logistics and regional security cooperation.
The development, according to Business Insider Africa, emerged during a high-level meeting held in Gaborone on May 6, where SADC Executive Secretary Elias Magosi met Russia’s Ambassador to Botswana, Andrey Kemarskiy, who is also accredited to SADC.
According to officials, discussions centred on two key agreements signed in 2018 — the Memorandum of Understanding on Basic Principles of Relations and Cooperation, and the Memorandum on Military and Technical Cooperation.
The agreements provide a framework for collaboration across a broad range of sectors, including security, defence, trade, economic relations, technology transfer, humanitarian initiatives and socio-cultural exchanges.
Officials confirmed that the military and technical cooperation agreement, initially signed for five years, has now been extended until July 2028 following a resolution adopted by the SADC Ministerial Committee of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation.
The broader cooperation memorandum has also been extended to October 2028. During the meeting, the Russian delegation presented an Action Plan intended to translate earlier agreements into concrete programmes and operational activities.
The plan is expected to guide future cooperation in defence capacity building, logistics support, technical assistance and institutional strengthening for regional security mechanisms.
SADC officials described relations with Russia as longstanding and mutually beneficial, particularly in supporting regional institutional capacity and security cooperation.
The bloc also expressed interest in expanding collaboration in military medical support for the SADC Standby Force as well as strengthening logistics infrastructure, including support for the Regional Logistics Depot.
The Southern African Development Community comprises 16 member states spanning Southern Africa, parts of Central Africa and Indian Ocean territories, making it one of the continent’s most geographically diverse regional organisations.
Russia, meanwhile, has increasingly sought to expand its political, military and economic footprint across Africa as Moscow strengthens alliances beyond Europe amid continuing tensions with Western powers.
The Kremlin has in recent years intensified engagement with African governments through defence agreements, military training programmes, mining partnerships, energy cooperation and diplomatic initiatives.
Ambassador Kemarskiy reaffirmed Moscow’s commitment to deepening engagement with Southern Africa and conveyed an invitation from Russian President Vladimir Putin for SADC leaders to attend the 2026 Africa-Russia Summit, which is expected to focus on trade, security and strategic cooperation.
Analysts say the extension of the agreements reflects continuity rather than a dramatic policy shift, with both parties now prioritising implementation of existing frameworks over negotiating entirely new arrangements.
The move also comes at a time when African regional blocs are increasingly diversifying international partnerships amid shifting global power dynamics and competition among major powers for influence across the continent.
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