Description: Foreign ministers from the newly formed Alliance of Sahel States (AES), Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso are set to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov this week. The meet would facilitate a close trilateral cooperation between the three countries and Russia as they aim to form a larger confederation of nations and expand strategic cooperation. The three countries are led by military juntas which closely cooperate with the Russian Wagner Group and African corps offshoots in countering jihadists in the Sahel region. AES was initially established between the Sahel countries as a joint military front against terrorist organizations, however, ideas regarding forming a larger African state under a unified umbrella have been discussed.
Impact: The close cooperation between Moscow and AES indicates on an elevated strategic presence that Russia is establishing on the African continent. Having the upper hand in the current state of negotiations with Ukraine and speculations of lifting sanctions enable Russia to expand their global influence in key strategic regions which could ensure continued access to valuable natural resources in return for security guarantees. Russia and China are currently exploiting the unilateral withdrawal of US influence on a global scale with expanding partnerships through economic and security infiltration in countries facing existential threats such as global terrorism, civil wars and insurgencies.