Niger and Russia Monday signed a deal to bolster military cooperation between the two countries, a move that translates Russia’s growing presence in the region. The agreement came as Russia’s deputy Defense minister Colonel-General Yunus-Bek Evkurov met with Abdourahamane Tiani, the new strongman of the West African country who arose to power on July 26 after toppling west-backed Mohamed Bazoum. Evkurouv signed the document with Nigerian Defense Minister Salifou Mody. Like Niger, neighboring countries namely Mali and Burkina Faso, all of them former France-ruled colonies, have severed ties with the European country and stepped up cooperation with Russia in many areas including security, defense and communication. Russia, another Deputy Defense Minister, Alexander Fomin indicated, has agreements on military-technical cooperation with 30 African states.

Source: The North Africa Journal December 05, 2023 12:05 UTC