Moscow backs defense deal with African state
The deal includes provisions for joint military training and exercises, Vladimir Gruzdev, a member of the commission and chairman of the Board of the Association of Lawyers of Russia, told the agency.
According to Gruzdev, the pact also provides for emergency medical assistance between the Russian and Togolese militaries. He described Togo as a strategically positioned partner, calling it the most 'organized and equipped' country in Tropical Africa.
'For example, the busiest seaport in the West African region is located on its territory,' he stated.
Moscow has stepped up its military engagement in Africa in recent years, with President Vladimir Putin saying last November that several countries across the continent are increasingly seeking its security support.
Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger—Togo's West African neighbors—have severed defense ties with former colonial power France and expelled French troops over alleged aggression and their failure to contain surging jihadist insurgency in the Sahel region.
The three countries have formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) and turned to Russia – praised by their leaders as a reliable partner – for security cooperation to counter militant violence that has claimed an estimated 10,400 lives in the region in 2024.
Togo is increasingly facing cross-border violence, with 10 attacks and 52 deaths recorded in 2024 – the highest since records began, according to the Global Terrorism Index. Last July, around 100 fighters from the al Qaeda-linked Group for Support of Islam and Muslims launched a large-scale attack on a military post near the Burkina Faso border, reportedly killing a dozen Togolese soldiers.
In April, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reaffirmed Moscow's support for the AES bloc, affirming that Russia is ready to help strengthen the joint Sahel forces, boost the combat readiness of each country's military, and assist in training armed forces and law enforcement personnel.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
3 hours ago
- Russia Today
South African parliament passes controversial appropriation bill
South Africa's National Assembly has passed the 2025 and 2026 Appropriation Bill covering all government departments, with support from parties including the DA, PA, IFP, ActionSA, BOSA, and Rise Mzansi. The MK Party, EFF, and ATM opposed the legislation. The announcement was made during a sitting at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on Wednesday. The sitting included the tabling of the Standing Committee on Appropriations' report, a debate, departmental budget votes, and the second reading of the bill - the final step required to pass the national budget. Voting was conducted manually, with party whips announcing how their members voted. Individual MPs were allowed to indicate if they wished to vote differently from their party, though none did. A quorum of 201 MPs was required for the vote, as the National Assembly consists of 400 members. The Appropriation Bill needed a simple majority – at least 201 votes to pass. The African National Congress (ANC), which holds 159 seats, was joined by the DA with 87 seats, IFP 12, Patriotic Alliance with 9, Freedom Front Plus with 5, ActionSA with 5, African Christian Democratic Party with two, United Democratic Movement with two, Rise Mzansi with two, BOSA with two, Al Jama-ah with one, Pan Africanist Congress with one, and GOOD Party with one in supporting the bill. The final vote tally was 262 in favor, 90 against, and no abstentions. The bill was then approved. Among the votes against were MK Party with 51 votes), EFF with 36, ATM with one, National Coloured Congress with one and United Africans Transformation with one. A minor controversy arose during the voting process when Al Jama-ah leader Ganief Hendricks claimed both party members were present and had voted. It was later revealed he was alone. 'My apologies, honorable deputy Speaker, he may have been stuck in the toilet,' Hendricks said. EFF MP Marshall Dlamini called for Hendricks to be referred to the ethics committee for allegedly misleading the House. Deputy Speaker Annelie Lotriet responded that it was inappropriate to accuse a member of lying without due process, stating Dlamini's comment breached parliamentary rules. Earlier in the session, EFF MP Omphile Maotwe said the party would reject the bill, accusing DA federal chairperson Helen Zille of using the national budget as a political weapon within the Government of National Unity (GNU). 'For the supervisors in the government on neoliberal unity, led by the chief supervisor Ms. Helen Zille, the budget is the tool to fight political squabbles,' Maotwe said. The DA had previously threatened to block the bill unless President Cyril Ramaphosa took action against then-Higher Education Minister Dr. Nobuhle Nkabane, whom the party accused of misleading Parliament over appointments to Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) boards. Ramaphosa dismissed Nkabane earlier this week, appointing former Deputy Minister Buti Manamela as her replacement, and named former KwaZulu-Natal Premier Dr. Nomusa Dube-Ncube as the new deputy minister. The DA said it supported the bill following these changes. Lotriet formally announced the results: 'The results are as follows: Yes 262, No 90, no abstentions.' She then ordered that the bill be read for the first time. First published by IOL
Russia Today
4 hours ago
- Russia Today
Mali refuses to free detained staff of Canadian company
A court in Mali has rejected a request for the conditional release of four employees of Barrick Mining Corporation, who have been detained since 2024 on accusations of money laundering and financing terrorism. The decision was announced on Tuesday by the company's lawyer, Alifa Habib Kone, according to Reuters. The Canadian mining giant has dismissed the allegations as baseless and filed an appeal challenging what it described as the employees' 'arbitrary' detention. However, Kone said Judge Samba Sarr deemed the petition 'unfounded.' Barrick, one of the world's largest gold producers, has operated in Mali for nearly three decades, but relations have deteriorated amid a dispute over alleged unpaid taxes and royalties. Tensions escalated in November when four local executives were detained and a warrant was issued for CEO Mark Bristow. Recent negotiations broke down after the Malian authorities demanded a lump-sum payment of 125 billion CFA francs ($197 million) in unpaid revenues, while Barrick proposed a structured payment plan instead. Last month, Mali's military-led government temporarily stripped Barrick of control over operations at the Loulo-Gounkoto gold complex in the country's west. A court in Bamako ordered that management of the site be transferred to a state-appointed provisional administrator for a six-month period. Barrick denounced the ruling as illegal and a breach of its contractual agreements, and has filed a case against Mali with the World Bank's arbitration tribunal. According to Bloomberg, the authorities in the Sahel state seized around a ton of gold from the mine earlier this month, which the provisional administration is expected to sell to fund the site's operations. The Loulo-Gounkoto mines are 80% owned by Barrick and 20% by the Malian government. In 2023, the former French colony introduced a new mining code allowing the state to claim up to a 30% stake in new projects, as part of efforts to boost public revenues. In June, Mali's economy and finance minister, Alousseni Sanou, stated that a new agreement with Russia's Yadran Group to establish a gold refinery – 62% owned by the state – would help increase national income from bullion production.
Russia Today
7 hours ago
- Russia Today
Moscow backs defense deal with African state
The Russian government has approved a draft law to ratify a military cooperation agreement with Togo, TASS reported on Tuesday, citing meeting documents. The decision by the government commission on legislative activity comes as Moscow deepens defense ties in West Africa, where French influence has waned in recent years. The deal includes provisions for joint military training and exercises, Vladimir Gruzdev, a member of the commission and chairman of the Board of the Association of Lawyers of Russia, told the agency. According to Gruzdev, the pact also provides for emergency medical assistance between the Russian and Togolese militaries. He described Togo as a strategically positioned partner, calling it the most 'organized and equipped' country in Tropical Africa. 'For example, the busiest seaport in the West African region is located on its territory,' he stated. Moscow has stepped up its military engagement in Africa in recent years, with President Vladimir Putin saying last November that several countries across the continent are increasingly seeking its security support. Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger—Togo's West African neighbors—have severed defense ties with former colonial power France and expelled French troops over alleged aggression and their failure to contain surging jihadist insurgency in the Sahel region. The three countries have formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) and turned to Russia – praised by their leaders as a reliable partner – for security cooperation to counter militant violence that has claimed an estimated 10,400 lives in the region in 2024. Togo is increasingly facing cross-border violence, with 10 attacks and 52 deaths recorded in 2024 – the highest since records began, according to the Global Terrorism Index. Last July, around 100 fighters from the al Qaeda-linked Group for Support of Islam and Muslims launched a large-scale attack on a military post near the Burkina Faso border, reportedly killing a dozen Togolese soldiers. In April, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reaffirmed Moscow's support for the AES bloc, affirming that Russia is ready to help strengthen the joint Sahel forces, boost the combat readiness of each country's military, and assist in training armed forces and law enforcement personnel.
