The United States (US) has warned Madagascar against strengthening security ties with Russia, cautioning that military-backed security partnerships modeled after recent interventions in West Africa risk destabilising the Indian Ocean region.
Speaking during a regional delegation visit, Deputy Commander of US Africa Command (AFRICOM) Lieutenant General John Brennan highlighted Madagascar’s vital strategic location along the Mozambique Channel, pointing out its critical role in global maritime trade routes.
Brennan warned against adopting the “Sahel model”, referencing military regimes in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger that severed Western security alliances in favor of Russian military support, arguing that Moscow’s security model has proven ineffective at curbing jihadist insurgencies while compromising national sovereignty and institutional stability.
“Madagascar sits in a location that is extremely important, as is Mozambique, and we don’t want to see those models be applied in those two locations,” stated Brennan, warning that Russia’s security approach in West and Central Africa aims to control natural resources and infringe on sovereign authority rather than deliver long-term stability.
–ChannelAfrica–
