The deputy head of US Africa Command (AFRICOM) cautioned that similar partnerships with military-led governments in West Africa have failed to improve security.

Lieutenant General John Brennan said they were concerned that Russia wants to expand the model it has used in the Sahel to elsewhere across the continent.

“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,” he said.