The russian federation is strengthening its strategic ties with the juntas of the Alliance of Sahel States, strengthening its influence in Africa and opening up access to the region's minerals with potentially huge reserves of gold, uranium and other valuable natural resources.
This is stated in another analytical note from experts from the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
ISW experts indicate that russia is strengthening its strategic ties with the juntas of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), joining forces to strengthen russian influence in Africa.
On April 3, at the AES summit in Moscow, russia, Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso agreed to establish a strategic partnership and strengthen the recently created joint AES military force, making russia the first country to recognize the trilateral joint force created on July 6, 2024.
“Russia and AES member states expressed their readiness to jointly combat regional instability and step up ongoing counterterrorism efforts, with russia agreeing to provide modern weapons and military training for a planned 5,000-strong joint force to be deployed in the central Sahel region,” the report said.
On April 3, Bloomberg reported that russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that russia would draw on military instructors already in the area to conduct such training - likely referring to the russian Defense Ministry’s African Corps, which transported large convoys of equipment to Mali via Guinea in 2025.
Russia and AES also agreed to cooperate in infrastructure, trade, economics, investment, and banking.
“Russia’s support for the AES is a long-term strategic effort to advance the Kremlin’s geopolitical goals of undermining Western influence in Africa and threatening NATO’s southern flank, as regularly assessed in the Critical Threats Project’s Africa Dossier,” the report said.
“Russia’s leading role in military training and arms procurement for the AES could bring additional lucrative benefits in the form of… resource concession agreements that would give the Kremlin access to an energy- and mineral-rich region with potentially vast reserves of gold, uranium, and other valuable natural resources,” the experts stated.
Key ISW findings for April 4:
- Russian ruler vladimir putin’s envoy for investment, Kirill Dmitriev, gave several interviews to U.S. media outlets on April 3 and expressed views that contradict the Kremlin’s current line on Ukraine.
- The Kremlin remains reluctant to commit to a comprehensive ceasefire in Ukraine, continuing to reject a ground ceasefire proposed by US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on April 4 that the US was closely monitoring russia's actions in Ukraine and hoped that russia was "serious" about resolving the war and not simply delaying negotiations.
- On April 4, a russian ballistic missile hit a residential area in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk Region, killing at least 18 people, including children.
- Russia continues to use strike systems, mostly consisting of drones, amid reports that it is building up its missile stockpile.
- Ukrzaliznytsia signed two contracts with Chinese rail transport manufacturers in January 2025 to support the development and repair of Ukraine's railway infrastructure.
- Russia is strengthening its strategic ties with the juntas of the Alliance of Sahel States, joining forces to increase russian influence in Africa.
- Ukrainian troops have advanced near Chasiv Yar and Pokrovsk. Russian troops have advanced near Kupyansk, Toretsk and Pokrovsk.
- The russian army is reported to continue to increase the final strength of its armed forces.
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