Russia has committed to helping military governments in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger acquire arms and training for a planned 5,000-strong force to deploy in the central Sahel region, a statement said.
Niger Foreign Minister Bakary Yaou Sangare, Mali's Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Burkina Faso Foreign Minister Karamoko Jean Marie Traore attend a joint news conference following a meeting of Russian foreign Minister with foreign Ministers of the Confederation of Sahel States in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, April 3, 2025. Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via Reuters
Russia has committed to helping military governments in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger acquire arms and training for a planned 5,000-strong force to deploy in the central Sahel region, a statement said.
The West African nations, run by juntas that have taken power in coups in recent years, have formed a body known as the Alliance of Sahel States.
The grouping has kicked out French and other Western forces and turned towards Russia, mainly fighters from the Wagner mercenary outfit, for military support. It has also withdrawn from West Africa's main political and economic bloc ECOWAS.
The foreign ministers of the three West African countries travelled to Moscow for meetings beginning on Thursday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Russia voiced "unwavering support" for the joint force announced in January, a joint alliance and Russian statement said.
The ministers agreed to facilitate acquisition of "major and high-performance military equipment and appropriate training" for the force and Russia is ready "to provide the necessary technical assistance", it said.
The statement did not offer details.
The three countries' armies are fighting a jihadist insurgency that has spread across the region south of the Sahara since it first took root in Mali in 2012.
The largely rural insurgency has killed thousands of civilians and displaced millions.
Writing by Robbie Corey-Boulet
The sun is setting in Pálpite, a small town on the edge of Cuba's vast Zapata Swamp, when suddenly the road swarms with activity. But not with the red land crabs that once attracted hundreds of thousands of tourists annually to one of the island's top eco-tourism destinations.
Nearly half of Peru’s official vote count remained outstanding on Monday as frustration grew over widespread disruptions to Sunday’s general election, with conservative Keiko Fujimori in the lead and a June runoff increasingly likely.
Benin's finance minister Romuald Wadagni was expected to coast to victory in a presidential election on Sunday, buoyed by strong economic growth and the absence of a credible challenger amid mounting fears over jihadist violence.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.