Chad, Sahel states receive Russia's foreign and defense ministers

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov shakes hands with Chad's President Mahamat Idriss Deby during a meeting in N'djamena, Chad, June 5, 2024.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is expected in Chad's capital N'djamena Wednesday, continuing an African tour that has taken him to Guinea and Congo. Russian Defense Minister Yunus-bek Yevkurov has also been on the move in Africa, visiting Libya and Niger. The visits are seen by civil society and analysts as Russia's attempt to establish its troops in the Sahel region after military leaders seized power, sparking ideological differences over the presence of American and French troops in Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Niger and Chad.