Russian military instructors and personnel have arrived in the West African country of Niger, local state broadcaster RTN has reported.
On April 11, RTN aired footage of military personnel unloading equipment from a Russian Il-76 military transport plane at an unspecified airport in Niger.
“We’re here to train the Nigerien army ... and develop military cooperation between Russia and Niger,” an unnamed military officer explained in the footage.
According to RTN, the officer—who spoke in French, Niger’s official language—was one of several newly arrived Russian military instructors.
The broadcaster further asserted that the Russian military had also agreed to install an anti-aircraft system on Nigerien territory.
“[Niger’s] airspace will now be better protected,” RTN stated.
It did not provide any additional details regarding the Russian anti-aircraft system.
Moscow, which in recent months has sought to bolster its influence in West Africa, has yet to confirm RTN’s report.
But on April 12, Russia’s Sputnik news agency reported that Russian “specialists” had arrived in Niger “to train local forces on combatting terrorism.”
“The African Corps will be building relationships and jointly forming and training the Nigerien army,” a newly arrived Russian trainer, whose name was not given, told Sputnik.
“We have a lot of experience in combating terrorism.
“We are here to share this experience with our friends.”
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According to RTN, the deployment comes in the wake of a recent agreement signed between Russia and Niger to enhance bilateral cooperation.
Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with Nigerien leader Abdourahamane Tiani.
During the call, which was later confirmed by the Kremlin, the two leaders agreed to enhance security ties.
Mr. Tiani has governed the country since the summer of 2023, when he led a successful military coup against President Mohamed Bazoum, his pro-Western predecessor.
Fraying Ties With West
In July 2023, a group of military officers ousted Mr. Bazoum, who had served as Niger’s president since 2021 and maintained close ties with the West.Since then, Niger has been run by a military junta—led by Mr. Tiani—that has had an increasingly contentious relationship with France, the European Union, and the United States.
In September 2023, Niger’s new military government expelled the French ambassador after a weekslong diplomatic standoff.
Niamey also demanded the departure of 1,500 French troops deployed in the country with the ostensible mandate of fighting “Islamic extremists.”
In December 2023, the last French military contingent left the country, a further blow to France’s dwindling influence in the region.
French forces were also expelled from Mali and Burkina Faso after similar coups in those countries—both of which are now closely aligned with Niger’s current government.
Soon after the French exit from Niger, Niamey also withdrew from a military pact with the EU and revoked permission for an EU mission to operate in the country.
On the very same day, a Russian delegation visited Niger for high-level talks with Mr. Tiani and other leading Nigerien officials.
In a statement, Niger’s Defense Ministry stated that the two sides had discussed “the strengthening of cooperation between Niger and Russia in the field of defense.”
Niger’s ANP news agency later reported that the two sides had also signed a joint security agreement, the details of which remain unclear.
US No Longer Welcome
Last month, Niamey went even further, revoking a longstanding military pact with the United States, which also maintains a military presence in Niger.The agreement had allowed U.S. military personnel—and civilian staff from the Defense Department—to operate unhindered on Nigerien territory.
In justification for the move, Niamey challenged the legality of the U.S. presence, which it claimed had been “unilaterally imposed” on the country.
One Nigerien government spokesman said: “The American bases and civilian personnel cannot stay on Nigerien soil any longer.”
At the time, the U.S. State Department noted that Washington was “trying to engage” with the Nigerien leadership “to urge them to get on a path back to democracy.”
Days before the agreement was nixed, U.S. officials visited the country to “express concern over Niger’s potential relationships with Russia and Iran,” a Pentagon spokeswoman said.
As of last year, an estimated 1,100 U.S. troops were stationed in Niger.
The U.S. maintains at least two military bases in the country, including one near the city of Agadez—known as Air Base 201—devoted to drone operations.
Since 2018, the base has been used to strike targets said to be affiliated with the ISIS terrorist group in Africa’s Sahel region.
U.S. officials have yet to respond to the recently reported arrival to Niger of Russian military personnel and equipment.
