By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Junta-led Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have secured military backing from Russia ahead of the planned deployment of joint forces in the central Sahel region.
Russia, according to a statement, says it will supply arms and train the 5,000-strong joint security forces of the three West African nations, aimed at combating jihadist armed groups.
The foreign ministers of the three West African countries travelled to Moscow on Thursday to hold meetings with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
During the meeting, Russia voiced its “unwavering support” for the joint force announced in January, according to a joint alliance and Russian statement.
The ministers agreed to facilitate the acquisition of “major and high-performance military equipment and appropriate training” for the force, and Russia is ready “to provide the necessary technical assistance,” the statement said.
The West African nations, governed by military juntas that seized power in recent coups, have formed a body known as the Alliance of Sahel States to counter the regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which they have withdrawn from, accusing it of being influenced by France.
The three countries’ armies are battling a jihadist insurgency that has spread across the region south of the Sahara since first taking root in Mali in 2012.
The largely rural insurgency has killed thousands of civilians and displaced millions.
