The Russian Armed Forces are now operating in six African countries, according to state TV.
Although only Mali was specifically mentioned by name, troops or military instructors have also been detected in Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, and Niger.
The deployment is part of the Russian Defence Ministry’s African Corps, which took over from the Wagner paramilitary mercenary group following its disbandment after leader Yevgeny Prigozhin’s death in a suspicious plane crash.
Most of the soldiers are veterans of Russia’s war in Ukraine and Moscow says the forces are assisting African governments in combating jihadist insurgencies.
