Russia sends military trainers, air defence system to Niger: State media
Al Jazeera
Violence in the region has worsened since coups in Niger and its neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso.
Russian military trainers have arrived in Niger with an air defence system and other equipment as part of the West African nation’s deepening security ties with Moscow, state media reported.
Niger’s military government agreed in January to step up military cooperation with Russia, after expelling French forces that were helping fight armed rebellions in several Sahel nations.
Broadcaster Tele Sahel showed a Russian transport plane arriving at Niamey airport, as it reported late on Thursday that “the latest military equipment and military instructors” from Russia’s Ministry of Defence had landed in the capital.
Russia will help “install an air defence system … to ensure complete control of our airspace”, the report said.
State-run Radio Television du Niger said on its Facebook page that 100 Russian military instructors had arrived in Niamey.
