New Russian instructors and Russian military equipment have arrived in Niamey, the capital of Niger / the US has an important drone base near Agadez, built with a financial effort of about 100 million dollars

New Russian instructors landed in Niamey on Saturday, where they made two deliveries of military equipment in two cargo planes, less than a month after the first instructors arrived, Niger public television announced on the night of Saturday to Sunday, according to AFP, reports Agerpres.

“In less than a month, Russia chartered three cargo flights to bring” various “military equipment” as well as “several Russian army instructors to Niamey,” Tele Sahel reported.

The first hundred Russian instructors arrived on April 10 in the capital of Niger, carrying out a first delivery of air defense equipment.

Africa Corps (or The African Corps in English), perceived as the successor of the Russian Wagner paramilitary society in Africa, has confirmed its arrival in the country.

The television station explained that it “did not have permission to broadcast” the arrival of the second flight “for reasons of national security”. The third flight, “in addition to military material and instructors, also brought a large amount of various food products for Niger”, according to her.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Thursday that Russian soldiers had moved into a Niger Air Force base that also houses US soldiers, near the airport in Niamey.

The military regime in Niger – which resulted from a July 26, 2023 coup – denounced the current military cooperation agreement with the US in March, saying it was “unilaterally imposed” by Washington.

In mid-April, Washington agreed to withdraw more than 1,000 soldiers from this country.

Discussions are currently underway between the US and Niger regarding the modalities of this withdrawal.

The US has an important drone base near Agadez, built with a financial effort of about 100 million dollars.

After the coup that overthrew the elected president Mohamed Bazoum, the military regime quickly demanded the departure of the soldiers from the former French colony.

It has drawn closer to Russia, as have neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, which are also ruled by the military and are facing jihadist violence by groups affiliated with Al Qaeda and the Islamic State.

At the end of April, Idrissa Soumana Maiga, the editor of the private daily L’Enqueteur, was jailed in Niamey for “undermining national defence”, following the publication of an article about the “alleged installation of listening devices by Russian agents in official buildings”.