- By Kathryn Armstrong in London and Chris Ewokor in Abuja
- BBC News
image source, Getty Images
Dozens of Russian military trainers have arrived in Niger as part of a new deal with the country’s junta, which has severed ties with its Western allies.
State media say they arrived along with a state-of-the-art air defense system.
They are expected to install the system and teach Niger’s military how to use it.
The West African country is one of three fighting an Islamist insurgency in the Sahel region that have recently strengthened ties with Russia.
A spokesman for Niger’s military government on Friday said the Russians are in the country to train soldiers.
The paramilitary Africa Corps of the Russian Ministry of Defense, also known as the Russian Expeditionary Corps (REK), wrote on Telegram that this was the first group of soldiers and volunteers to go to Niger.
In an attached video, a corps soldier said in French that they were there to “develop military cooperation” between the countries and had brought “various special military equipment” to help with training.
Footage of Russian trainers unloading a cargo plane full of equipment was broadcast on Niger state television.
Ulf Laessing, an expert on the Sahel region for the democracy-promoting Konrad Adenauer Foundation, told the BBC World Service’s Newsday program that the military supplies appeared to be part of a “regime survival package”.
Niger’s democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, was ousted last year by the junta, which has since cut military and diplomatic ties with France – the former colonial power – and revoked the deal with the US.
Mr Laessing said the military government was still worried about some form of physical intervention in Niger by the political and economic alliance of West African states known as Ecowas.
He added that this is probably the reason for the procurement of a Russian air defense system, rather than to help suppress Islamist militants.
“I have no other explanation why the jihadists don’t have planes,” Mr Laessing said.
Niger faces increased violence from the Islamic State group, as well as the continued threat of Boko Haram militants along its border with Nigeria.
Earlier this week, at least six soldiers were killed in an explosion in the Tillabery region near the border with Mali.
Niger’s defense ministry, which confirmed the attack, said an army patrol car hit a landmine near the southwestern village of Tingara earlier this week, killing some of the soldiers. Others were injured and taken to hospital.
The ministry said it carried out an airstrike to neutralize those responsible for planting the improvised mine.
While the military government cited worsening insecurity in Niger as the reason for the coup, reports indicate that insurgents have continued to carry out attacks in parts of the country – almost on a monthly basis – especially in the Tillabery region.