The interim prime minister appointed by the Niger junta, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, visited Russia for talks aimed at deepening economic and military ties between the two countries. He was accompanied on his visit by the Minister of Defense, Salihou Mody, and the Ministers of Oil and Trade.
Zeine will also visit Turkey, Iran and Serbia on what appears to be an extensive effort at diversifying Niger’s partnerships to circumvent harsh sanctions from its West African neighbours.
A working meeting was held between the Russian Deputy Ministers of Defense, Colonel-General Alexander Fomin and Colonel-General Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, and Mody.
During the talks, the countries highlighted the positive dynamics of the development of bilateral military and military-technical cooperation and identified promising areas of cooperation. They noted the importance of developing Russia-Niger relations in the defence sphere and agreed to intensify joint actions to stabilise the situation in the region.
The Russian Defense Ministry stressed its readiness to continue constructive dialogue with its partners in Niger to increase the combat readiness of the national armed forces of the Republic of Niger.
Niger’s uranium and oil reserves, and its pivotal role in a war with insurgents in the Sahel region, highlight its economic and strategic importance for the United States, Europe, China and Russia.
Before the coup that deposed the country’s democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, Niger was the last major security partner with the west in the Sahel.
This partnership with the west, according to the current military leadership, did not result in any significant improvements in the country’s security situation as vast regions south of the Sahara Desert turned into global terror hot spots under the control of Islamic extremist groups.
The military junta recently expelled the French military from the country, ending a long-term security alliance. The junta, in December 2023, also scrapped two key military agreements that the West African nation signed with the European Union to help fight the violence in Africa’s Sahel region.
The country’s military junta’s decision to expel France as a major security partner has created an opening for Russia in the Sahelian state, which both governments are actively exploiting.
