By: Arron Williams
March 23 2023
False: A photo from the 'Russia-Africa in a Multipolar World' conference shows Putin with government representatives from 40 African countries.
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Fact-Check
The Verdict False
The photo was taken at the first Russia-Africa summit in 2019 and is not from the conference that occurred in March.
Claim ID 1802811b
Context
Users on Twitter have shared a photo of President Putin standing beside various government representatives from different African countries. The posts link this photo to the second International Parliamentary Conference called "Russia-Africa in a Multipolar World," stating that this occurred on March 20, 2023. One tweet sharing the photo has over 1 million views and states: "AFRICA - Gov representatives from 40 African countries have gone to Moscow today, for a conference called 'Russia-Africa in a Multipolar World' Whilst the media spins propaganda about Net Zero & war, they aren't telling you that Africa is refusing to do as it's told!"
In Fact
The photo is not from the second International Parliamentary Conference, "Russia-Africa in a Multipolar World," and has been misattributed. A reverse image search of the photo reveals that it is actually from the first Russia-Africa summit in Sochi in 2019. Other variations from 2019 can be seen in articles that covered the summit, such as the Financial Times and Euronews. Furthermore, the photo depicts Idris Deby, then-president of Chad. However, Deby died in 2021 from injuries following a clash with rebel forces, as reported by the BBC, thus confirming the photo is not recent.
A media release from the South African Parliament on March 20 confirms a conference entitled "Russia-Africa in a Multipolar World" did take place between the 18 and 21 of March 2023. Over 40 delegates from various African countries attended the event alongside their Russian counterparts. A tweet from the official Parliament of Zimbabwe account also confirmed attendance, with Hon. Advocate J.F.N Mudenda representing Zimbabwe. The conference occurred in the State Duma precinct of Moscow and discussed continued cooperation with African nations.
The Euronews article states that the 2019 event also saw over 40 African Heads of State and thousands of other participants gather to discuss trade relations, public health, and security. The official Russian website for the conference, Summit Africa, mentions that the Second Summit will take place from July 26 – 29, 2023.
The Verdict
The photo shown on Twitter is not from a conference in March 2023 and is instead from the first Russia-Africa summit in 2019. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.