Key facts
- Lt Gen John Brennan said US partners are "free to partner with whom they wish" but urged them to understand the potential risks.
- Brennan said Russia has supplied weapons and military instructors to Madagascar since the 2025 takeover.
- Brennan raised concern about security in the Mozambique Channel, an important route for international shipping and trade.
- Brennan said Islamist State linked militants in northern Mozambique were developing greater maritime capabilities.
- Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger turned to Russia for military support after severing ties with Western partners.
- Brennan said militant attacks have continued in the three Sahel countries despite closer military ties with Russia.
The deputy head of US Africa Command, Lt Gen John Brennan, warned Madagascar on November 11 against strengthening its ties with Russia, saying similar partnerships with military-led governments in West Africa have failed to improve security. He spoke to reporters in an online briefing.
Brennan said Madagascar's strategic location in the Indian Ocean made it important to global trade. He warned against what he called the "Sahel model", which he said risked fuelling instability across the continent. "We are concerned about Russia wanting to "proliferate [the Sahel model] elsewhere across the continent"," Brennan said. "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.
Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, all under military rule, severed ties with Western partners and turned to Russia for military support in their fight against jihadist groups. The three Sahel countries had blamed their former Western partners for failing to contain jihadist violence before turning to Moscow. Brennan said militant attacks have continued despite their closer military ties with Russia.
Brennan also raised concerns about security in the Mozambique Channel, which separates Mozambique and Madagascar from mainland Africa and is an important route for international shipping and trade. He said it was vital to prevent Islamist State linked militants in northern Mozambique and other hostile actors from threatening maritime activity. Citing recent piracy-related incidents along the coast, Brennan said militant groups in northern Mozambique were adapting their tactics, including developing greater maritime capabilities. He said US partners were "free to partner with whom they wish" but urged them to understand the potential risks.