Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced on Thursday that Russia is stepping up its military cooperation with Mali. His statement came as Mali’s foreign minister, Abdoulaye Diop, visited Moscow for talks aimed at bolstering relations.
Moscow is expanding its influence in Africa as it seeks to build alliances beyond the West despite its ongoing conflict in Ukraine. This week, Russia is hosting foreign ministers from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger—three Sahelian nations now under military rule following coups between 2020 and 2023.
“Defence cooperation is developing intensively: our servicemen are actively cooperating with Mali’s military, personnel training is being carried out,” Lavrov said during his meeting with Diop.
Following their coups, the three Sahel countries distanced themselves from their former colonial ruler, France, and have increasingly aligned with Russia, which has deployed mercenaries to assist them in fighting jihadist insurgents.
At the start of 2024, the trio withdrew from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), accusing the regional bloc of being controlled by France. They have since focused on strengthening their own Alliance of Sahel States (AES), initially formed as a defence pact in 2023 but now aimed at deeper political and economic integration.
The ministers’ visit to Moscow marks a significant step in these growing ties. Lavrov welcomed the summit as a move to “strengthen the whole suite of our relations.”
Mali’s Diop praised the cooperation between the two nations and announced that Mali’s leader, Assimi Goita, would visit Moscow in June. Niger’s Foreign Minister Bakary Yaou Sangare also hailed the summit as a “historic event.”
