The Foreign Ministry has confirmed plans to expand its diplomatic presence in Niger, Sierra Leone, and South Sudan
Moscow is set to expand its diplomatic presence in Africa with the establishment of embassies in Niger, Sierra Leone, and South Sudan, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced during a briefing on Thursday.
Zakharova confirmed that the relevant government decrees had been issued at the end of December, and that “the official opening of these diplomatic missions is planned in the near future.”
Highlighting the recent expansion of Russian embassies in Africa, Zakharova noted that diplomatic missions were established in Burkina Faso and Equatorial Guinea in 2023.
“Next in line are Niger and Sierra Leone, where we are resuming operations that were unfortunately discontinued in 1992 due to financial reasons,” she explained.
Earlier in January, Anatoly Bashkin, director of the African department at the Russian Foreign Ministry, echoed this information in an interview with Izvestia. He pointed out that Russia will for the first time establish a diplomatic mission in South Sudan, which gained independence in 2011.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced in November that preparations are underway to reopen the Russian embassy in Niamey, the capital of Niger. The facility is expected to resume operations soon, as discussed during Lavrov’s meeting with Nigerien Foreign Minister Bakary Yaou Sangare.
Niger’s embassy in Moscow, along with the Russian mission in Niamey, ceased operations in the 1990s due to budgetary challenges. Currently, diplomatic representation for Sierra Leone is managed through Russia’s embassy in Guinea.
According to KP.RU, citing the Russian Foreign Ministry’s press department, Russia operates 43 diplomatic and consular missions across Africa.
Last year, Zakharova outlined plans to increase Russia’s diplomatic representation across the continent. “In light of Russia’s growing attention to Africa, Russian President Vladimir Putin has set the task of increasing our diplomatic presence on the continent, which implies opening new posts or expanding staff in existing Russian diplomatic missions abroad,” she said.
