The arrival of on Russian military instructors in Niger is "a signal of hope and confidence," Malian political scientist Adama Diabaté told Sputnik Africa.
"After the cases of Mali, I think that today all Africans are eager for the presence of Russia in their own country," Diabaté said.
According to him, Russia is "the only superpower that has shown honesty in its geopolitical relations with Africa."
The recent arrival of Russian specialists in Niamey to train the country's law enforcement agencies in the fight against terrorism "will only further strengthen and reassure our countries: Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, the entire AES."
"For 11 years, the West has been unable to defeat the terrorists" in the Sahel, the expert noted. The West "does not pursue any policy in Africa except the policy of chaos," it sowed "chaos in order to become firefighters, that is, arson firefighters," he added. On the other hand, Russia has come "to really fight the terrorists."
Beninese analyst Suleiman Amzat also praised the arrival of the Russian instructors in Niger, calling it "a good initiative."