Putin, Mali’s Goita discuss Niger crisis amid Western fears of growing Russian influence in Sahel

Mali’s military leader and interim president, Assimi Goita, had a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday about the escalating situation in Niger, amid growing concerns in the West that Africa’s latest coup undermines its influence while presenting an opportunity to expand Russia’s presence in the West African region.
The Kremlin said Mali’s leader initiated the call to President Putin about the events unfolding in Niger where a coup on 26 July ousted democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum. Both leaders discussed a number of hot topics but “particular attention” was given to the situation in the Sahara-Sahel region, according to the statement. The Russian president stressed the importance of employing “exclusively peaceful political and diplomatic means” to resolve the ongoing situation for the sake of a more stable Sahel, the statement said. The Kremlin also noted the phone call was “in continuation of the Russian-Malian high-level talks” held at the Russia-Africa Summit in St Petersburg in July.
Putin’s call for a “peaceful resolution” comes days after West African leaders ordered the “activation” and the “deployment” of a regional ECOWAS standby force to restore constitutional order in Niger. Mali has continued to urge the African Union and the United Nations to prevent any military intervention against Niger. The ‘hotline’ between Bamako and the Kremlin is likely a source of great concern for Western governments who fear the prospect of growing Russian influence in the Sahel. West African army chiefs will meet on Thursday and Friday (17-18 August) in Ghana to prepare for a possible military intervention of ECOWAS forces in Niger, if diplomacy fails. But some experts have warned that any military intervention could further destabilize the impoverished Sahel, including Niger that has strategic significance for the West, Russia, and China due to its uranium and oil resources and its role as a hub for foreign forces fighting armed groups in the region.