How Togo has become a new entry point for weapons sent by Russia to Mali

What the report says

France 24 Africa reports that Togo has emerged as a new transit point for Russian military cargo bound for Mali, with a sanctioned Russian ship, the Mikhail Britnev, unloading at the Port of Lomé on July 9. According to the article, this was the first known Russian weapons shipment to Mali to use Togo, marking a shift from an earlier route through Guinea and western Mali.

The report says the ship left Russia’s Baltiysk naval base in June, was tracked by open-source investigators and the Royal Navy, and then switched off its AIS signal before reappearing near Lomé. Satellite imagery and video cited by France 24 suggest the cargo included armored vehicles and military trucks, likely for the Malian armed forces and Russia-linked Africa Corps, which replaced Wagner in Mali.

France 24 says the convoy later traveled through Burkina Faso and into Mali’s Sikasso region before reaching Bamako. Malian state television reportedly confirmed the route and said the journey took about 10 days. The piece notes that the new corridor is longer than the Guinea route but may have been chosen because of security concerns and logistical pressure, including militant activity and congestion at other ports.

The article also says the new passage through Togo points to growing cooperation between Lomé and Moscow, although it does not claim definitive proof of any formal approval for the shipment beyond the observed transit.