Niger Welcomes Russian Military Trainers. Niger’s state television RTN reported the arrival of military instructors and personnel from Russia’s defense ministry on Wednesday, signaling a strengthening of ties between the West African nation and Moscow, mirroring developments in its junta-led neighbors.
In a broadcast on Thursday, RTN aired footage showing a military cargo plane unloading equipment while individuals in military attire observed. The report indicated that this deployment followed a recent agreement between Niger’s junta and Russian President Vladimir Putin aimed at boosting cooperation.
“We are here to train the Nigerien army and to foster military collaboration between Russia and Niger,” stated a camouflage-clad individual identified by RTN as one of the instructors. The man, with most of his face covered by a neck gaiter, spoke on camera during the broadcast.
RTN also disclosed that Russia had agreed to install an anti-aircraft system in Niger, asserting, “Our airspace will now be better safeguarded.”
The deployment of Russian instructors comes after Niger’s decision in mid-March to revoke its military agreement with the United States, which allowed Pentagon personnel to operate from two bases, including a drone base constructed at a cost exceeding $100 million.
Following this, the Pentagon disclosed that U.S. officials had expressed concerns to Niger about potential alignment with Russia before the junta terminated the agreement, affecting approximately 1,000 U.S. military personnel in the country.
Since 2020, a series of military coups have occurred in Niger, as well as neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, reshaping international efforts to combat Islamist insurgents associated with Al Qaeda and Islamic State.
juntas have terminated military agreements:
These juntas have terminated military agreements with longstanding allies such as France, fostered closer ties with Russia, and established their own cooperation pact known as the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
Violence in the region has surged since the coups, peaking in 2023, with conflict-related fatalities in the central Sahel rising by 38% compared to the previous year, according to the U.S.-based crisis-monitoring group ACLED. Reports indicate that over 8,000 people were killed in Burkina Faso alone last year.
The escalating instability has worsened a prolonged 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 over 3 million people displaced in the area.
