On Wednesday, military instructors and personnel from Russia’s Defense Ministry arrived in Niger, as reported by Niger state television RTN, indicating a deepening relationship between the West African country and Moscow, mirroring its junta-led neighbors.
RTN’s Thursday broadcast showcased footage of a military cargo plane unloading gear, with individuals in fatigues standing by, revealing that the deployment followed a recent agreement between Niger’s junta and Russian President Vladimir Putin to enhance cooperation.
“We are here to train the Nigerien army … (and) to develop military cooperation between Russia and Niger,” stated a man in camouflage uniform, identified by RTN as one of the instructors, who had a neck gaiter pulled up over most of his face while speaking on camera.
Additionally, RTN reported that Russia had agreed to install an anti-aircraft system in Niger, asserting, “Our airspace will now be better protected.”
While Russia has not issued an immediate comment, the country has been actively seeking to bolster its influence in Africa, positioning itself as a friendly nation without a colonial background on the continent.
The arrival of Russian instructors follows Niger’s mid-March decision to revoke its military accord with the United States, allowing Pentagon personnel to operate on its soil from two bases, including a drone base constructed at a cost exceeding $100 million.
The Pentagon expressed concerns to Niger about potential ties with Russia before the junta terminated the accord, governing roughly 1,000 U.S. military personnel in the region.
Since 2020, a string of military coups in Niger and neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso have unfolded, reshaping international efforts to combat a decade-long insurgency with Islamist militants linked to Al Qaeda and Islamic State.
These juntas have terminated military agreements with long-standing allies like France, deepened relations with Russia, and formed their own cooperation pact known as the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
Violence in the region has escalated since the coups, reaching its peak in 2023, with conflict fatalities in the central Sahel rising by 38% compared to the previous year, according to the U.S.-based crisis-monitoring group ACLED, citing reports of over 8,000 deaths in Burkina Faso alone last year.
The instability has exacerbated a protracted humanitarian crisis in the region bordering the Sahara desert, already one of the world’s poorest.
As of March, the International Organization for Migration reported that over 3 million people were displaced in the area.
