Is Russia proving better at protecting friends than fighting enemies in West Africa?

What the report says

Russian forces in Niger have been used not only for counter-insurgency support but also to help safeguard the country’s military rulers, according to BBC World News. The report says Africa Corps, Moscow’s state-controlled successor to Wagner, played a role in helping loyalist forces regain control of Air Base 101 in Niamey after mutinous soldiers seized the site last Saturday. Russia’s ambassador to Niger publicly confirmed the intervention, describing it as help in putting down a mutiny.

The episode is presented as evidence that Russia’s role in the Sahel is broader than fighting jihadist groups. In Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, Moscow has become a key security partner for military-led governments that have distanced themselves from former Western allies, especially France. BBC World News notes that Niger’s junta has justified its rule by pointing to insecurity and by casting itself as a defender of sovereignty and regional independence.

Analysts quoted in the report say Russia appears to gain influence, access and diplomatic backing by supporting these governments, while the juntas receive a security lifeline against internal dissent. The article also notes that this arrangement has not solved the wider jihadist threat, which continues in Niger and across the Sahel. More broadly, the piece suggests Moscow’s limited deployments may be intended to keep friendly regimes in power even as Russia remains stretched by the war in Ukraine.