Russian military unit in Niger

Russia boosted its influence in West Africa’s Sahel region by sending military instructors to Niger, its first such deployment in the junta-ruled nation.

The instructors, who arrived in the country on Wednesday, brought an air-defense system and will train Nigerien troops, state-owned Radio Television du Niger reported late Thursday. RTN broadcast images showing a Russian cargo plane and men in military fatigues offloading what it described as “latest generation” military equipment.

The deployment aims to “develop military cooperation between Russia and Niger,” a Russian military trainer, whose face was partially covered by a scarf, said on RTN.

Niger already hosts American military personnel, with about 1,000 US troops deployed in the West African nation, the majority of them at a $110 million drone base in the central city of Agadez.