Violence in the region has worsened since coups in Niger and neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso.
Russian military trainers have arrived in Niger with air defense systems and other equipment as part of deepening security ties between the West African country and Moscow, state media reported.
Niger's military junta agreed in January to step up military cooperation with Russia after expelling French troops who were helping fight armed rebellions in several Sahel countries.
Broadcaster Telesahel reported late Thursday that “the latest military equipment and military instructors” from the Russian Ministry of Defense had landed in the capital, and showed a Russian transport plane arriving at Niamey airport.
Russia will help “install air defense systems to ensure complete control of our country's airspace,” the report said.
State-run Radio Television de Niger announced on its Facebook page that 100 Russian military instructors had arrived in Niamey.
There was no immediate comment from Russia. Russia is trying to increase its influence on the African continent by promoting itself as a friendly country with no colonial background.
“Global strategic cooperation”
Niger, one of the world's poorest countries, has been a front-line partner for the West in fighting armed fighters in the Sahel region, but has been under the influence of Russia since the overthrow of President Mohamed Bazoum, who was elected in a coup last July. I started to rely on him.
In March, Niger decided to abandon a military agreement with the United States that allowed Pentagon officials to operate in the country from two bases, including a drone base built at a cost of more than $100 million.
The United States still maintains about 1,000 soldiers in Niger, but their movement has been restricted since the coup.
The head of the junta, General Abdulrahmane Chiani, spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin in March to discuss “global strategic cooperation” against “current threats,” officials said at the time. Details were not disclosed.
Niger has joined neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, which were also ruled by military leaders after a coup, to create a joint force to fight a long-running armed rebellion.
Violence in the region has worsened since the coup, and instability has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in the region bordering the Sahara desert. The International Organization for Migration announced this week that more than 3 million people were displaced as of March.
