Evolution of Foreign Policy Guidelines of the States in Sub-Saharan Africa

The relevance of the study lies in the fact that African countries are becoming an integral part of political and economic processes in the world. African leaders build their cooperation strategy on the basis of national interests and mutual benefit, focusing on strengthening sovereign states. African leaders pay great attention to the military-political aspect of international cooperation, since a number of countries on the continent are experiencing a high intensity of local and interstate conflicts. This is evidenced by the aggravation of the situation in the Sahara-Sahel region in 2023-2025. That is why regional military-political alliances are being established and agreements with traditional defense partners are being revised. The research focuses on the maturation of the political elites of African states, their pragmatism and disassociation from the former metropolises, which in turn seek to keep them in the orbit of their influence. Neo-colonialist mechanisms such as Fransafrique are criticized and protested by the majority of Africans. The independent choice of partners is emphasized, not only from among Western countries, but also from non-Western countries. Interaction with Russia is emphasized in light of the decisions of the 2019 Sochi and 2023 summits in St. Petersburg and the Russia - Africa Inter-Ministerial Meeting in Sochi in November 2024. The emergence of such a platform as the Russia - Africa Forum has significantly increased the opportunities for African countries to implement national projects and strengthen their positions in international affairs. The aspiration of African countries to participate in the BRICS inter-civilizational association is seen as a good prospect for political growth and international prestige of African countries. It has been proved that the political activity of African countries is steadily growing, which contributes to the consolidation of their authority in the world, improvement of economic performance, and helps to combat illegal armed groups. The work applied a comprehensive approach to the processes under consideration, used event-analysis with critical evaluation of information.