Russia accuses France of arming and training armed groups in the Sahel region
Moscow, August 17 (KUNA) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused France on Monday of arming and training armed groups in the Sahara and Sahel regions of Africa, warning against the repercussions of what he described as external interference in Africa’s security landscape, and reiterating his country’s readiness to support African nations in combating terrorism.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa in the Russian capital, Moscow, Lavrov said Russia was prepared to provide “the necessary support” to African countries in confronting terrorism and contributing to efforts to rebuild relations between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the three Sahel countries: Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. He added that Moscow intended to soon sign a memorandum of cooperation with ECOWAS covering security-related areas, while expressing concern over what he described as the involvement of Ukrainian military personnel in terrorist attacks within Sahel countries.
Lavrov’s remarks come as the Sahel region undergoes profound security and political shifts, marked by the decline of French military presence in several countries in the area and the growing Russian footprint, coinciding with increased activity by armed groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (ISIS) across large parts of the Sahel and West Africa.
For his part, the Ghanaian Foreign Minister confirmed that his country’s President, John Dramani Mahama, would attend the Russia-Africa Summit scheduled to be held in Moscow next October, expressing his hope to hold a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the summit.
Moscow, through the upcoming summit, seeks to strengthen its partnerships with African countries in the fields of security, trade, investment, energy, and infrastructure, amid intensifying international competition for influence and economic and security ties on the African continent.
Relations between France and several Sahel countries have deteriorated sharply in recent years, as Paris ended its military presence in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, while the governments of these countries have moved to strengthen their ties with Russia and coordinate security efforts among themselves within the Alliance of Sahel States.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), headquartered in Abuja, Nigeria, comprises 12 member states: Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Senegal, Togo, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Cape Verde, and Guinea-Bissau. (End) D.A.N./A.B.G.
