Russia is strengthening its military presence in Africa
Russia is strengthening its military presence in Africa, according to claims from French news agency LeMonde. These claims of Russian weapons pouring into Africa comes after news of Russia’s significant losses in Ukraine.
Russian influence in the region was previously a source of alarm for former US President Biden, who wanted to increase US influence in Africa to counter the increasing pro-Russian sentiment in African countries, namely Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. These three countries formed The Alliance of Sahel States in 2023, following expulsion from the West African union ECOWAS.
It is also a considerable embarrassment for French president Emmanuel Macron who once presided over a post colonial francophone Africa which once included all these of these states who served the Elysee’s agenda.
Now, newly inaugurated President Donald Trump inherits this situation, which poses complex challenges for his administration, given its more pragmatic view of Russia, despite a recent threat to Putin over Ukraine and a perennial opposing viewpoint of regional politics for Russian satellites like Algeria who naturally challenge Trump head on over his strong support for Morocco’s rule of Western Sahara.
In addition to Russia consolidating its military presence in Mali, the Kremlin has been observed to have begun a process of withdrawal of military equipment from Syria, and diverting some to Libya, following the the victory of Syrian rebels in Damascus in November 2024, and Assad’s subsequent escape to Moscow, where he was granted political asylum.
Latest reports indicate that Mali is now also a recipient of Russian artillery; allegedly, Russia delivered over 100 military vehicles to Mali, including tanks, trucks, and infantry fighting vehicles on 17th January. The shipment, which arrived in Bamako, is suspected to have come from Syria following the withdrawal of Russian troops after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Half the vehicles in the convoy were trucks (including armoured Kamaz trucks and engineering vehicles) and the remainder included T-72B3M tanks, BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles, BTR-82A 8×8 armoured personnel carriers, and Spartak, Linza, and Tiger 4×4 armoured personnel carriers. Also seen were three D-30 towed artillery pieces, two anti-aircraft cannons, and a couple of boats
The American think tank, Institute for the Study of War suggests that the equipment buildup in Mali is most likely unrelated to the regime change in Syria, and is rather part of the Kremlin’s plans to consolidate control of Russian military presence in Mali under the Ministry of Defence controlled Africa Corps.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence says that Russia has deployed Wagner PMC (private military contractor) units in Mali, which became more active after the French troops that were involved in countering illegal militia groups, left the country in 2022.
Wagner has been present in Mali since late 2021 following a military coup, replacing French troops and international peacekeepers to help fight militants who have threatened communities in the central and northern regions for over a decade.
However, Wagner has been accused of helping to carry out raids and drone strikes that have killed civilians, with Human Rights Watch accusing both Mali’s armed forces, supported by the Wagner Group, and Islamist armed groups of committing serious abuses against civilians.
“Currently, the local indigenous population, supported by Western countries, is in conflict with Russian troops and the pro-Russian Malian government. Most likely, the equipment will be distributed between the Wagner units and government forces as part of strengthening the counteraction to paramilitary units in the country and terrorist organisations.”
Wagner (now known as Africa Corps) mercenaries have a patchy track record in engagements with militant groups such as JNIM (Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin).
In July 2024, Russian forces lost dozens of operatives to an ambush in Mali’s western region, after being attacked by CSP-DPA (Defence of the People of Azawad) and JNIM fighters. Subsequent attacks have reportedly left hundreds of Malians and at least half a dozen Russians dead, reports defenceWeb.
LeMonde, defenceWeb
