Russian military trainers and air defence system arrive in Niger

Equipped with an air defence system and other weapons, Russian military instructors have arrived in Niger to help the West African nation in securing its borders and deepen security ties with Moscow.

Russian state television announced late Thursday that Moscow will help "install an air defence system ... to ensure complete control of our airspace".

Niger's military government agreed in January to step up military cooperation with Russia, after expelling French forces.

Soon after the 2023 coup, the new rulers ended all military pacts with Paris. France, the former colonial power in the region, was accused of destabilising the country and using aggression against the local population. The new Niger government even expelled the French ambassador Sylvain Itte from Niger's capital Niamey.

European influence is on the wane in other parts of Africa as well. For instance, the former French colonies Mali and Burkina Faso pushed out French forces who were stationed there under the pretext of fighting terrorism in the Sahel region.

The Tele Sahel broadcaster showed a Russian transport plane arriving at Niamey airport on Wednesday night. It said "the latest military equipment and military instructors from the Russian defence ministry" had arrived.

One instructor was quoted as saying that "We are here to train the Niger army and help it use the equipment that has just arrived. The equipment is for different military specialities."

The head of Niger's military government, General Abdourahamane Tiani, spoke by telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 26.

The two leaders discussed security cooperation as well as "global strategic cooperation" a gainst "current threats", authorities said at the time, without elaborating.

Niger, one of the world's poorest countries, had been a frontline partner of the West in fighting insurgencies in the Sahel region.

In December 2023, Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso endorsed plans to form a federation to unite their countries, following the signing of a charter to create the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) to defend each other against external and internal security threats.

The United States has some 1,000 troops in Niger, though their movements have been limited since the coup and Washington has curbed assistance to the government.