13.04.2024, Niamey.
An air defense system and 100 Russian military instructors of the African Corps arrived in Niger, the press service of the Russian Defense Ministry’s African Corps informed on April 12.
The Russian instructors arrived in Niger within the framework of the agreement on military cooperation between the countries signed last December.
The military specialists will advise the army of Niger in the fight against terrorism. They will also train the Nigerian military to use the arrived air defense system to ensure control over the country’s airspace.
Colonel Amadou Abdraman, a representative of the Nigerian government, announced this on the local RTN TV channel.
“Russian military instructors will provide quality training to our troops to ensure effective use of the air defense system. Thanks to this new acquisition of military equipment, our airspace will now be better protected,” he said.
In December 2023, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov visited the capital of Niger. Following the meeting with the authorities of the country, the parties agreed on strengthening cooperation in the field of security.
In July 2023 coup d’état, Niger faced sanctions from ECOWAS. Under French influence, the West African bloc threatened a military invasion to restore deposed President Mohammad Bazoum to power.
In response, Nigerian authorities severed a military cooperation agreement with France, expelled the French military, and formed the Alliance of Sahel States with Mali and Burkina Faso.
Mali and Burkina Faso have also signed military cooperation agreements with Russia, and African Corps military instructors are already present in these countries. In Burkina Faso, Russia opened its first military base in Lumbila, about 20 kilometers northeast of Ouagadougou.
The military authorities of Niger have broken the agreement on military cooperation with the US Army. At the moment, about 700 US servicemen are still stationed in Niger.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
