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Russia sends military trainers, troops to Niger (www.dw.com)
submitted 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world
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Russian military personnel arrived in Niamey to train their soldiers and set up an air defense system. Russia has been trying to build stronger ties with several African nations currently ruled by military juntas.

The Russian defense ministry sent military personnel and trainers to Niger on Wednesday to install systems and train soldiers, Nigerien state TV RTN said.

The channel showed people and goods being unloaded from a military cargo plane, with images showing Russian Ilyushin-76 aircraft. 

The dispatch of Russian personnel to the African nation is part of a recent agreement between Niger's military junta leader Abdourahamane Tchiani and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two countries are trying to increase cooperation.

…

Russia has ramped up efforts to build stronger relations with African nations, positioning itself as a military power without a colonial past.

Prior to the military coup last July, Niger and the US, France and some other European countries were cooperating to fight against Islamist militias in the Sahel region.

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[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 2 points 7 months ago (2 children)

The stronger ties thing makes sense, but it still seems like a strange time to be spreading out their military.

[–] wintermute_oregon@lemm.ee 2 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Most likely to recruit. Train them up and send them to fight in Ukraine.

[–] tal@lemmy.today 4 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

I haven't been following it closely, but my impression is that this is bigger than that. Russia has been working on trying to kick the legs out from under French relations with African countries. Russia may not be doing so well in Ukraine, but in Africa, it looks like they're making major advances.

https://time.com/6301177/niger-african-support-russia/

Last week’s coup in Niger sent shockwaves across not only Africa's Sahel region, but the international community at large. Niger had been the last pro-Western holdout in a region known as Africa's “coup belt,” fueling concerns the military takeover could destabilize the region and hurt longstanding counterterrorism efforts there. Yet the sight of Nigeriens waving pro-Putin protest signs and Russian flags has left many in the West feeling uneasy. These images provide a sharp contrast for a Western public that has frequently been told that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a “pariah around the world.”

https://www.ft.com/content/f9fd4d44-fb63-40c1-8280-a1a685c63396

This paradoxical list of visitors epitomises the growing security challenge confronting western countries in this part of Africa. On the battleground for great powers’ influence that Niger and its neighbours of the Sahel region have become, Russia is scoring impressive points.

Having learnt the hard way that their uncompromising stand with the junta in Niger was not paying off, the French could not hide a touch of schadenfreude on learning of the American misadventure in Niamey. Washington had tried a different tactic, waiting for two months to acknowledge that the coup in Niamey was indeed a coup. But whatever the approach, the stakes are clear for everybody: any vacuum left by western forces in the Sahel is filled by Russia, taking over the anti-terrorist fight with some short-term successes but also with its own methods — and agenda.

Stunned by Moscow’s powerful anti-western disinformation campaigns, observers note how Russia’s presence in Africa is being extended and reorganised in the “post-Prigozhin era”, as the Wagner mercenaries that the former Putin’s ally-turned-rebel used to lead are integrated by the ministry of defence. Africa is General Yevgurov’s domain: the deputy minister of defence makes frequent trips to the continent, often accompanied by General Andrei Averyanov of the military intelligence service GRU, a veteran of Afghanistan, Chechnya and Crimea.      

https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-research-reports/report/mali-west-out-russia-in-and-then/

In Mali, Russians reused the playbook from several other African countries (e.g., Central African Republic, Sudan, Mozambique). It just worked better in Mali, due to the circumstances. They prepared the ground through a disinformation campaign; when the opportunity arose (earlier than expected), Moscow offered an alternative to cooperation with the West that was tempting for leaders under pressure. The Russian package typically doesn’t include much economic support: no investments are to be expected. It provides some diplomatic backing, but the core is the protection of the regime, including limited arms supplies/sales, military advisers, and training. Yet, it’s not for free: African leaders are supposed to pay, often through the country’s mineral wealth.

https://www.politico.eu/article/france-africa-russia-emmanuel-macron-vladimir-putin-mali-central-african-republic-burkina-faso/

How Moscow chased France out of Africa

Paris is pulling back, under pressure from Russian disinformation and Wagner Group mercenaries.

In recent months, France has also had to leave Mali and Central African Republic, raising fears of a domino effect across the continent as Macron winds down his country’s decade-long Barkhane operation to fight against jihadists in the Sahel.  

The reasons for France’s waning influence in the Sahel region are multi-faceted, rooted in its colonial history and accelerated by local politics, but its troubles are also a consequence of Russia’s ambitions to expand its foothold on the continent, especially since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

As French troops are systematically ushered out, they are in some cases being replaced by mercenaries from Russia’s paramilitary organization Wagner Group — which is led by Vladimir Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin. In Burkina Faso, the country’s military leaders deny they have sealed a deal with the Wagner Group, but Russian mercenaries have been sighted in the country. 

[–] tal@lemmy.today 3 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

I don't know what the root of the cause here is. It might be fundamental, that you have leaders who object to demands for elections or something like that, and that France cannot afford to do that and is going to have to tolerate dealing with dictatorships -- I believe that that was a factor in Mali, where the coup leaders had no intention of elections and didn't like being told to hold them. It might be that France doesn't have adequate clout alone. It might be whatever arrangement France is making is otherwise undesirable.

I don't know what the strategic implications for Europe are, but I do wonder. Both Russia and Africa are suppliers of raw resources to Europe. If Russia can collude with other raw resource suppliers, it might be able to place pressure on supplies to Europe.

I know that Nigeria had been looking at an overland pipeline to provide natural gas to Europe, but that needed to pass through Niger. With the coup participants in control of Niger and them aligned with Russia, I'd imagine that Russia might be well-positioned to block creation of that pipeline.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Saharan_gas_pipeline

The Trans-Saharan gas pipeline (TSGP; also known as NIGAL pipeline and Trans-African gas pipeline) is a planned natural gas pipeline from Nigeria to Algeria. It is seen as an opportunity to diversify the European Union's gas supplies.

I also don't think that it's viable to just go around Niger. Russia has been involved with a continuous band of countries stretching across the Sahel from the Atlantic to the Red Sea. I don't follow the geopolitics of the Sahel, so I don't know all the factors involved, but if that's not a coincidence, then there's an overland wall across Africa.

Going from west to east, there's Senegal:

https://www.london-globe.com/european-union/2023/12/12/senegal-is-the-next-african-country-in-russias-crosshairs/

Senegal is the next African country in Russia’s crosshairs

Opposition politician Sonko does not hide his ties and sympathies for Russia. . Worrying news for Senegal: the Russians are sending their private armed groups into the country, as they did in Mali and Burkina Faso, in anticipation of the presidential elections.

Mali:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Malian_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat

Additionally, on 2 June, the African Union suspended Mali, effective immediately until the country could reestablish "normal constitutional order," and urged the military to refrain from interfering with the Malian political process. According to its statement, if Mali did not return power back to civilian leaders, the Peace and Security Council would impose targeted sanctions and other punitive measures. On that same day, France suspended joint operations with the Malian military, as well as national advisory missions. The French Ministry of Armed Forces said that "the decision will be reassessed in the coming days." After consultations with the Malian military and neighboring countries in the Sahel region, France resumed joint military operations and national advisory missions in Mali on 3 July.

On 7 January 2022, Agence France Presse reported that Malian army officials claimed that Russian military advisors had arrived in the country – with about 400 Russian military personnel operating in Sahel state.

Niger:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Nigerien_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat

On 26 July 2023, a coup d'état occurred in Niger when the country's presidential guard detained President Mohamed Bazoum, and Presidential Guard commander General Abdourahamane Tchiani proclaimed himself the leader of a new military junta, shortly after confirming the coup a success.

At the same time, along with anti-French sentiment, a current of thought favorable to the entry of Russian influence and the Wagner Group mercenary company began to grow. Russia, through Wagner, has been gaining ground at the expense of the French in the region, following the latest coups in Mali and Burkina Faso.

Chad:

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/putin-meets-chad-junta-leader-russia-competes-with-france-africa-2024-01-24/

Putin meets Chad junta leader as Russia competes with France in Africa

MOSCOW, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday met Chadian leader Mahamat Idriss Deby in the Kremlin, courting a country that had previously maintained a pro-Western policy and spurned Russia's recent outreach in Africa's Sahel region.

Russia has been moving to edge out the influence of France, the former colonial power in West Africa and the Sahel, and build ties with countries that have been roiled by a wave of coups since 2020.

And finally, Sudan, and that finishes the span across the continent.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia%E2%80%93Sudan_relations

Sudan has been without a parliament since a popular uprising forced the military overthrow of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir in April 2019. The country has been mired in political chaos since an October 2021 military coup derailed its short-lived transition to democracy.

The deal, which surfaced in December 2021, is part of Moscow’s efforts to restore a regular naval presence in various parts of the globe. It was reached during al-Bashir’s reign.

In 2019, Sudan and Russia signed an agreement, which reportedly gives Russian Navy access to Sudanese ports. In November 2020, Vladimir Putin announced that the Russian Navy would proceed with building a base capable of hosting 300 personnel and four warships on Sudan's Red Sea coast. In December 2020, the agreement to build the base was signed, which would give Russia a naval base in Port Sudan for at least 25 years. This was compared to Russia's naval base in Tartus, Syria. However in June 2021, the Associated Press reported that the agreement was not ratified by Sudan's parliament and the Sudanese military indicated it would review the agreement. Sudan’s Chief of General Staff, Gen. Mohammed Othman al-Hussein stated, “We are negotiating a possible review to this deal, to ensure that our interests and our profits are taken into account.”

In February 2023, Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov met Sudanese officials in Khartoum, including the commander-in-chief of Sudanese Armed Forces Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, leader of Rapid Support Forces Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, and acting foreign minister Ali Al-Sadiq Ali to improve relations amid the International sanctions during the Russo-Ukrainian War, and to conclude a review of an agreement to build a naval base with up to 300 Russian troops in Port Sudan, awaiting ratification from yet-to-be-formed legislative body in Sudan.

[–] Justas@sh.itjust.works 1 points 7 months ago

Yep, this is the real reason why France threatened Russia with boots on the ground in Ukraine.

[–] Aux@lemmy.world 2 points 7 months ago

It's the best time since France fucked up real hard in Africa recently. There won't be a second chance.