Putin seeks strength in Sahel region, meets Chadian leader for bilateral talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Chadian leader Mahamat Idriss Deby on Wednesday in the Kremlin as part of efforts to extend outreach in Africa’s Sahel region.

Russia has been working to reduce the influence of France, the former colonial power in West Africa and the Sahel, and strengthen connections with countries embroiled in a wave of coups since 2020.

At the meeting, Mr Putin said he’s pleased with his Chadian counterpart for stabilising the West African country after Deby took power in a coup three years ago.

Following a successful referendum on the constitution, the Russian leader expressed confidence that the elections in Chad will be held at a high level soon, as he commended the newly found ally

President Putin added that the two countries had “great opportunities to develop our bilateral ties” and that Moscow would double the number of Chadian students studying at Russian universities.

Deby’s visit occurred just a week after Niger’s prime minister, also chosen by a junta, visited Moscow.

As Western influence continues to decline, the ruling juntas in Africa have aligned their countries with Russia, including an alliance with the Wagner mercenary group, which has been formally incorporated into Moscow’s state structure.