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Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Mali recently for talks with its junta leaders. Mali is seeking Moscow’s help in battling an Islamist insurgency that has been wrecking peace and order in the Sahel country for quite a long time. The Russian minister was welcomed by his counterpart Abdoulaye Diop. Significantly, the two men refused to make any comments to the journalists.
Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Mali recently for talks with its junta leaders. Mali is seeking Moscow’s help in battling an Islamist insurgency that has been wrecking peace and order in the Sahel country for quite a long time. The Russian minister was welcomed by his counterpart Abdoulaye Diop. Significantly, the two men refused to make any comments to the journalists.
The visit is the third trip of the Russian foreign minister to Africa since July. It is a part of a bid to expand Russia’s presence on the continent and to explain to the African countries’ compulsions before Russia for the invasion of Ukraine. The military junta led by Colonel Assimi Goita has embraced Russian support to aid its anti-jihadist fight and at the same time part with the services of the former colonial ruler France, which was engaged in the task earlier. Amidst the growing bonhomie between the two countries, several Malian officials had travelled to Moscow.
Lavrov has held talks with Goita, details of which are still not in the public domain. Russia has been supplying planes and attack helicopters to Mali. Several hundred Russian soldiers are in Mali touted as instructors, who are helping to reinforce its defence and sovereignty. However, analysts, mostly from European countries, dub them as paramilitaries belonging to the Wagner group, a private army closer to Putin. There is uncertainty about whether Goita would stick to his agreement for a return to civilian rule in March 2024, especially if the security crisis continues. Using this ploy, the junta would continue to be in power, say analysts from western countries.
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Recently, Lavrov accused the US and its allies of colonial methods as he visited Angola, South Africa, and Eswatini. He said that Moscow sought relations on the continent built on solidarity and support.
