The foreign ministers of Mali, Burkina, and Niger will travel to Moscow this week

In a joint statement released Tuesday, the foreign ministries of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger announced that their respective foreign ministers will go to Moscow this week as the Sahel countries and Russia want to further their relationship.

Run by juntas that have seized power in previous coups, the West African countries have united to establish the Confederation of Sahel States (AES). After expelling French and other Western forces, the grouping looked to Russia for military assistance.

At the invitation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, their foreign ministers will travel to Moscow on April 3 and 4 to meet with him, the statement stated.

“The Moscow meeting represents an important step in establishing strategic, pragmatic, dynamic and supportive cooperation and partnership relations in areas of common interest between the AES and Russia,” said the ministers.

This week’s visit was referred to as the “AES-Russia consultations” first session.

The jihadist insurgency, which began 13 years ago in Mali, has expanded throughout the region south of the Sahara, and the forces of the three nations are engaged in combat.