Russia has dispatched its first delegation of military representatives to Niger, sending along an air defence system to support the country’s military junta.
The deployment comes almost a year after soldiers seized power in the West African nation, plunging it into political instability.
According to state media reports, Russian military personnel arrived in Niger accompanied by a state-of-the-art air defence system.
A military spokesperson said the aim of the mission is for the Russians to install the system and provide training to Niger’s army on its operation.
The Russian defence ministry’s paramilitary group Africa Corps, also known as the Russian Expeditionary Corps (REK), announced on Telegram that this deployment marked the first group of servicemen and volunteers sent to Niger.
In a video attached to the announcement, a corps serviceman mentioned that their mission was to enhance military cooperation between the two nations, bringing various specialized military equipment to facilitate training, the BBC reported.
Regional Implications:
Niger, among several Sahel region countries governed by military authorities, has recently strengthened its ties with Russia.
The country has been under military rule since the coup d’état in May 2023. The junta, led by General Abdourahamane Tchiani, ousted the democratically elected government of President Mohamed Bazoum, citing instability. However, international condemnation followed, and sanctions were imposed on the junta regime.
Nigeria and the West African regional bloc Ecowas lifted sanctions on Niger in February after the country, Mali and Burkina Faso threatened to leave the regional body.
The Nigerian government has yet to officially respond to Russia’s move.
The BBC quotes Ulf Laessing, a specialist in the Sahel region for the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, a group which promotes democracy, as saying that the military supplies appeared to be part of a “regime survival package”.
He said the move showed the military authorities, which faced a threat of military action from Economic Community of West African Countries (ECOWAS), was still concerned about some form of physical interference by the regional body, which is led by Nigeria.
He said the supply of a Russian air defence system cannot be to help suppress Islamist fighters.
“I don’t have any other explanations because jihadists don’t have planes,” Mr Laessing said.
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