Three junta-led nations have left the regional economic bloc ECOWAS, citing alleged French influence on the group. Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger are increasingly turning to Russia as an ally.The Sahel states of Mali,

France handed over its last military base in Chad to local authorities as African nations have grown closer to Moscow.

The Foreign Ministry has confirmed plans to expand its diplomatic presence in Niger Sierra Leone and South Sudan Moscow is set to expand

Reliance on Russia’s military offerings has become increasingly prevalent in parts of Africa, amid an aggressive push by Moscow to lessen Western influence on the continent.

Nigers minister of interior and public security has called for increased vigilance to deal with the alleged threat France isnbspusing u

Russia has accused Ukraine and Western countries of using blackmail and Political pressure to disrupt its growing influence in Africa. In an interview with Izvestia, Anatoly Bashkin, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry's African Department,

Renovations of a disused Libyan airbase by Russian forces could point to Moscow's increasing attempts to assert power in Africa.