US commander warns Madagascar against copying the Sahel's Russian security model
Washington is concerned that Moscow's growing military footprint on the island could reach the Mozambique Channel, a vital trade route, after similar partnerships failed to curb jihadist violence in West Africa.
A senior United States military officer has warned Madagascar that its deepening security partnership with Russia risks repeating the failures seen in the Sahel, as Washington watches Moscow's expanding reach along a strategic shipping corridor.
Lieutenant General John Brennan, the deputy commander of US Africa Command (AFRICOM), said the United States was concerned that Russia intended to extend to other parts of Africa the model it has applied in the Sahel. The military governments of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have cut defence ties with their traditional Western partners and turned to Moscow for help against jihadist groups, yet the attacks have continued.
General Brennan said African partners were "free to partner with whom they wish" but should understand the risks that came with such choices. He described Russia's record in the Sahel and East Africa as "largely ineffective" and cautioned that reproducing it elsewhere could further destabilise the region. He also accused Moscow of seeking to control natural resources and to undermine the sovereignty of the countries it works with.
A strategic waterway
Much of Washington's interest lies in the Mozambique Channel, which separates Madagascar from the African mainland and is a vital route for international trade. The channel has gained in importance as the war in the Middle East forces shipping onto alternative routes, and US officials fear that insurgents in northern Mozambique could develop the maritime capability to threaten vessels.
Russia has supplied Madagascar with weapons and with military instructors from its paramilitary Africa Corps since the army seized power in 2025. Colonel Michael Randrianirina, who now leads the country as President, made one of his first official trips abroad to Moscow in February, the first official visit by a Malagasy leader in nearly five decades. The two countries have since signed agreements on defence, trade and tourism at a Russia-Africa summit.
The Malagasy authorities have not publicly responded to the American warning.