Russian army deployed to Mali after French troop’s exit

The Malian army’s spokesperson has disclosed that Russian soldiers have been deployed to train Malian forces at a base vacated by French troops, Aljazeera reported on Friday.

According to Reporters, the spokesperson said; Thursday that; “We had new acquisitions from the Russians. It costs a lot less to train us on site here than for us to go over there.”

The arrival of the Russian forces in Mali follows deployments to several other African hotspot. This is part of what analysts say is an attempt by Moscow to recover influence on the continent.

The withdrawal of the French troops from Mali came amid political instability in the country after Colonel Assimi Goita carried out two coups in less than a year before being sworn in as the country’s interim president.

Since 2012, Mali has been plagued by conflicts, which has resulted in armed groups fighting for control in the central and northern regions of the country.

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