Russia plans to create military base in Africa - ISW

That's according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Ukrinform reports.

The Russian Defense Ministry-controlled Africa Corps stated on January 26 that a Russian Defense Ministry delegation arrived in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

A prominent Kremlin-affiliated milblogger claimed that the Defense Ministry's delegation will discuss the rights and powers of the Russian military contingent in Burkina Faso and future cooperation between Burkina Faso and Russia.

The milblogger claimed that Burkina Faso will likely become the "main coordination center" between Sahel Alliance members Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali and that the formalization of Russia's military presence in the Sahel suggests that this relationship will likely last for years. The milblogger also claimed that Russian media is also operating in Burkina Faso to "compete with French media" and "create a loyal information space."

The Russian Officers' Union for International Security (OUIS) Director Alexander Ivanov said that several hundred Russian military personnel in the Central African Republic (CAR) would be "sufficient and effective." Ivanov claimed that such a Russian military contingent would strengthen Russia's position in CAR and the region and would show that cooperation between CAR and Russia is "of a strategic long-term nature." However, he labeled previous claims by a CAR presidential advisor that the Russian military base in CAR could accommodate 10,000 personnel "a clear exaggeration."

At the same time, Russian Ambassador to CAR Alexander Bikantov said that the creation of a Russian military base in CAR will protect CAR's national sovereignty. He stated that the Russian and Central African Republic MoDs are discussing the base's location and have yet to determine the timing of the Russian military contingent's arrival and the number of Russian personnel.

"The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned OUIS and Ivanov on January 26, 2023 for acting as a Wagner Group front company operating in CAR, and Ivanov's statements to Russian state media about future Russian MoD forces in CAR suggest that the Russian MoD has been successful in co-opting some former Wagner Group structures in CAR," ISW concluded.