The Africa Corps, a branch of the Russian Ministry of Defense, has deployed forces to the West African country of Togo this July to cooperate in the suppression of jihadist groups that are infiltrating the northern regions of the country from neighboring Burkina Faso. The deployment includes Russian instructors and specialists who will engage in military-technical cooperation, training local security forces, and aid in coordinating joint security actions. The first large shipment of Russian military equipment also arrived in July at Togo’s port of Lome. The Africa Corps deployment in Togo will give logistical support in using the Lome port to supply Russian forces in other states of the region, including Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. The latter three states have formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) with which the Africa Corps is cooperating in the fight against terrorists operating on their territory.
Togo maintains strong relations with the AES, and serves as the main port of entry for these landlocked states. The deployment of the Africa Corps follows a formal military cooperation agreement between Russia and Topo signed in March of 2025, and Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov visited Togo in March 2026 as part of the two nations’ ongoing cooperation.