(MENAFN) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has attributed ongoing tensions in Africa to the lingering effects of colonialism, asserting that former colonizing powers are attempting to shift blame onto Moscow.

Speaking to Arab media on Monday, Lavrov said Western nations are deliberately fostering divisions across the continent. “Colonizers drew straight lines across Africa, dividing territories and splitting up the places where ethnic groups lived,” he explained. “I do not rule out that those who once drew the borders with a ruler are sometimes trying to provoke new escalations.”

He added, “The point is that there is an attempt today to make baseless accusations against Russia for anything and everything, even the gravest sins,” rejecting claims that Russian military activities are destabilizing African nations. Lavrov emphasized, “Our military does not take any action against the civilian population or civilian facilities. This is well known.”

The minister highlighted Mali, where Russian forces operate at the request of the national government, acknowledging concerns over rising tensions with neighboring Algeria. He linked these tensions to the colonial-era creation of artificial borders.

Lavrov underscored Moscow’s readiness to mediate, stating, “Both sides are interested in us helping to ease these contradictions. We are ready to do so.” He also praised the African Union’s post-decolonization decision to maintain existing borders, noting that attempts to redraw them could open a “Pandora’s box.”

The remarks come shortly after Malian Prime Minister Abdoulaye Maiga accused Ukraine of supplying kamikaze drones to terrorist groups and warned that Western weapons deliveries to Kyiv could “risk contributing to the promotion of international terrorism.”

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