Russia, Europe’s most powerful nuclear-armed military, is quietly building a security network across North and West Africa, linking Algeria and Haftar-controlled Libya with Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger through expanding defence ties, advanced weapons, military deployments and logistics networks.
The alignment is not yet formal like NATO or the Pakistan-Saudi-Türkiye pact, but Russia’s July meeting with AES states and role in repairing Mali-Algeria ties have paved the way for deeper cooperation, with sources saying a broader framework could follow.
That momentum is building as Europe seeks to isolate Russia and warns of its growing influence in Africa.
In a recent report on Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) threats, the EU said Moscow has “capitalised on regional political shifts, aiming to position itself as a counterpower to the West and using information operations to challenge EU and Western engagements in the region.”
That strategy has found fertile ground among governments with similar anti-West sentiment, strengthening the political and security foundations of a potentially broader military bloc.
