Russian Troops Deployed to Mali

Mali’s army spokesperson has said Russian soldiers have been deployed to the northern city of Timbuktu to train Malian forces.

The Malian government had said Russian trainers had arrived in the country, but Bamako and Moscow have so far provided few details on the deployment.

The government added that the Russian troops are in the country as part of a bilateral agreement.

This comes amid persistent insecurity in a country where large swaths of territory are out of the government’s control.