SOURCE: The Daily Digest
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The Russian invasion of Ukraine is one of the most important and noticeable conflicts of the past years. However, people tend to forget that Moscow is involved in special military operations elsewhere.
TRT Global informs that the Russian government has signed an agreement, pledging military support for the African countries of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, which form the Alliance of Sahel States.
“The decision to create an alliance is the result of the free choice of the Sahel peoples, a course towards sustainable peaceful development,” Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov declared, per an official statement cited by TRT Global.
Independent news outlet The Moscow Times remarks that the Kremlin has been trying to outreach to African nations as a way to deal with its increased isolation from the West.
This Moscow-African partnership, born out of necessity of allies following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, also covers defensive and military matters.
According to The Moscow Times, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso are led by military juntas that are currently engaged in an armed conflict with jihadist insurgency.
According to France24, the footage shows jihadists calling the troops from the Africa Corps, a Russian mercenary group, as “Wagner”.
It’s important to remember that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner Group, died in a mysterious plane crash in August 2023, a few weeks after failing to lead a revolt against the Russian government led by Vladimir Putin.
Now that the Kremlin has tighter control on its paramilitary operations in Africa, any blunders are solely the responsibility of the Russian government.