Is Russia proving better at protecting friends than fighting enemies in West Africa?
Russia's Africa Corps intervened to help Nigerien loyalist forces suppress a mutiny at a strategic military base in Niamey. This incident suggests that Russia's role in the Sahel is shifting toward protecting military juntas from internal threats rather than just fighting insurgents.
Why it matters
The intervention underscores Russia's growing influence in West Africa and its role in sustaining military regimes against democratic or internal opposition.
Share Save Add as preferred on Google Simi Jolaoso Africa correspondent AFP via Getty Images The embrace of Russia by Niger, and other Sahel states, has been seen as a rejection of the post-colonial Western powers When mutinous soldiers seized a strategic military base in Niger's capital last Saturday, the country's ruling junta turned to a foreign partner it has increasingly relied on since coming to power: Russia.
Following a night of intense fighting in Niamey, Russia's Africa Corps helped Nigerien loyalist forces to regain control of Air Base 101 at Diori Hamani International Airport.
Africa Corps, unlike its predecessor the Wagner Group, is directly under the control of the defence ministry in Moscow. It provides combat support and military training and is thought to have some 200 to 300 men in Niger.
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