Russia pledges more security support for troubled Sahel state

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Malian counterpart have discussed ways of strengthening “traditionally friendly” ties

Moscow will continue to provide crucial support to Mali, including training its national army to combat long-standing terrorist threats in the West African country, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated.

Lavrov made the commitment on Thursday when speaking by phone with his Malian counterpart, Abdoulaye Diop.

Both parties announced in separate statements that they had discussed “important issues” of mutual interest, including ways to strengthen the existing “strategic” Moscow-Bamako partnership in politics, trade, economy, culture, and other areas.

“We focused on current security issues in Mali, in a context of fierce fight against coalition terrorist groups, supported by foreign sponsors,” the Malian diplomat wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

“The Russian Minister took this opportunity to reaffirm that his country stands firmly alongside Mali and the countries of the AES [Alliance of Sahel States] Confederation to jointly defeat the common enemy and ensure stability and sustainable development in the sub-region,” Diop stated.

Mali has been embroiled in a jihadist insurgency since 2012, with attacks blamed on Al-Qaeda and Islamic State factions killing thousands and forcibly displacing over 375,000 people, according to UN estimates. The violence has spread to neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger.

Last week, dozens of Malian soldiers and contractors from the Russian private military company (PMC) Wagner Group were killed in an attack reportedly carried out by Tuareg rebels in the village of Tinzaouaten, near the country’s border with Algeria. On Tuesday, the Malian army announced that it had conducted a joint operation with Burkina Faso forces, targeting a “coalition of terrorists” in the Tinzaouaten area.

In March, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger decided to establish a joint force to address safety concerns as part of the newly formed Sahel alliance.

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The new leaders of the three countries, who all took power after coups, have cited the growing threats from militants in the Sahel region as a reason for overthrowing their civilian governments. Bamako, Niamey, and Ouagadougou have all severed ties with formal colonial power France, expelling French troops for allegedly failing to quell jihadists after a decade of counter-insurgency operations.

The former French colonies have hailed Russia as a “friendly” ally. Mali’s foreign minister stated in February that military cooperation with Moscow had improved his country’s security.

Earlier this year, Lavrov declared that Russia would continue to assist Sahel states by boosting their combat capabilities, defense forces, and law enforcement agencies, with the goal of strengthening regional security.