Russia hosts top diplomats from Sahel countries for talks on boosting security ties

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia on Thursday discussed ways to boost military ties with the Sahel countries, promising to train their troops and supply weapons as it seeks to expand its clout in the junta-led West African countries that have expelled French forces.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after the talks with his counterparts from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger that Moscow stands ready to help strengthen their military and security forces.

“I emphasized Moscow's readiness to help expand the potential of the united armed forces of Sahel, strengthen the combat capability of the three countries' militaries and train their troops and law enforcement personnel,” Lavrov said, adding that Russia could also provide military equipment.

Russia's top diplomat also accused Ukraine of destabilizing the region, declaring, without offering any evidence, that it "openly supports terrorist groups in this part of Africa while its western sponsors turn a blind eye on it.”

Mali’s Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop echoed Lavrov's comments, stating that his country views Ukraine as a “terrorist state.”

“We have common views on fighting insecurity and terrorism in our region, which is supported by foreign state sponsors and regional actors," he said. "It includes Ukraine at your doorstep here, which we consider simply a terrorist state.”

Mali’s government cut diplomatic ties with Ukraine last year over allegations that Kyiv aided an attack by armed groups in northern Mali in July, in which dozens of Russian mercenaries and Malian soldiers were killed by jihadis and rebels, in what some observers described as one of the largest losses for the Russian contractors in years.

A spokesperson for Ukrainian military intelligence said at the time that armed groups in Mali had received information from Kyiv to launch the attack. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry argued, however, that Mali had cut ties without a thorough review of the situation and without providing evidence of the country’s involvement in the attack.

Ties between Sahel countries and the West have become increasingly strained. Following military coups in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger in recent years, the ruling juntas have expelled French and U.S forces, and turned to Russian military contractors for security assistance.

Last year, Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso announced their withdrawal from the regional organization ECOWAS, which requires them to organize presidential elections and transfer power to civilians. Weakened by attacks from armed groups linked to al-Qaida, the Islamic State, or separatists, they created the Alliance of Sahel States to pool their military and diplomatic forces.

Russia has capitalized on deteriorating relations between the West and coup-affected Sahel nations to send fighters and assert its influence. Russian military contractors have been active in the Sahel, the vast expanse south of the Sahara Desert, profiting from the region's mineral riches in exchange for their security services.

Lavrov noted Thursday that Russia will help the Sahel countries to form a joint military force by offering “consultative services,” noting that a “significant number” of Russian military instructors have been working there already.

From left: Mali's Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop, Burkina Faso Foreign Minister Karamoko Jean Marie Traore and Niger Foreign Minister Bakary Yaou Sangare enter a hall to attend a meeting of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov with foreign Ministers of the Confederation of Sahel States in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov, Pool)

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov attends a meeting of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov with foreign Ministers of the Confederation of Sahel States in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov, Pool)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks during a meeting of foreign Ministers of the Confederation of Sahel States in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov, Pool)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, rear right, gestures as he speaks during a meeting of foreign Ministers of the Confederation of Sahel States in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov, Pool)

Mali's Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop attends a meeting of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov with foreign Ministers of the Confederation of Sahel States in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov, Pool)

Burkina Faso Foreign Minister Karamoko Jean Marie Traore attends a joint news conference following a meeting of Russian foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov with foreign Ministers of the Confederation of Sahel States in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov, Pool)

Mali's Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop attends a joint news conference following a meeting of Russian foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov with foreign Ministers of the Confederation of Sahel States in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov, Pool)

Niger Foreign Minister Bakary Yaou Sangare attends a joint news conference following a meeting of Russian foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov with foreign Ministers of the Confederation of Sahel States in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov, Pool)

From left, Niger Foreign Minister Bakary Yaou Sangare, Mali's Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Burkina Faso Foreign Minister Karamoko Jean Marie Traore attend a joint news conference following a meeting of Russian foreign Minister with foreign Ministers of the Confederation of Sahel States in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov, Pool)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attends a joint news conference following his meeting with foreign Ministers of the Confederation of Sahel States in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov, Pool)

From left: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Mali's Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop, Niger Foreign Minister Bakary Yaou Sangare and Burkina Faso Foreign Minister Karamoko Jean Marie Traore enter a hall to attend a joint news conference following a meeting of Russian foreign Minister with foreign Ministers of the Confederation of Sahel States in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov, Pool)

From left, Niger Foreign Minister Bakary Yaou Sangare, Mali's Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Burkina Faso Foreign Minister Karamoko Jean Marie Traore attend a joint news conference following a meeting of Russian foreign Minister with foreign Ministers of the Confederation of Sahel States in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov, Pool)

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) — In the aftermath of a fire inside a Swiss Alpine bar that killed 40 people celebrating the new year, survivors, friends and family members, the region’s top authorities and even Pope Leo have spoken to the public in remarks in French, Italian, German and English, reflecting the tradition of Swiss multilingualism.

Another 119 people were injured in the blaze early Thursday as it ripped through the busy Le Constellation bar at the ski resort of Crans-Montana, authorities said. It was one of the deadliest tragedies in Switzerland’s history.

Investigators said Friday that they believe sparkling candles atop Champagne bottles ignited the fatal fire when they came too close to the ceiling of the crowded bar.

Here’s a look at what people said in the wake of the disaster:

— “I’m looking everywhere. The body of my son is somewhere,” Laetitia Brodard told reporters Friday in Crans-Montana as she searched for her son, 16-year-old Arthur. “I want to know, where is my child, and be by his side. Wherever that may be, be it in the intensive care unit or the morgue.”

— “We were bringing people out, people were collapsing. We were doing everything we could to save them, we helped as many as we could. We saw people screaming, running,” Marc-Antoine Chavanon, 14, told The Associated Press in Crans-Montana on Friday, recounting how he rushed to the bar to help the injured. “There was one of our friends: She was struggling to get out, she was all burned. You can’t imagine the pain I saw.”

— “It was hard to live through for everyone. Also probably because everyone was asking themselves, ‘Was my child, my cousin, someone from the region at this party?’” Eric Bonvin, general director of the regional hospital in Sion that took in dozens of injured people, told AP on Friday. “This place was very well known as somewhere to celebrate the new year,” Bonvin said. “Also, seeing young people arrive — that’s always traumatic.”

— “I have seen horror, and I don’t know what else would be worse than this,” Gianni Campolo, a Swiss 19-year-old who was in Crans-Montana on vacation and rushed to the bar to help first responders, told France's TF1 television.

—“You will understand that the priority today is truly placed on identification, in order to allow the families to begin their mourning,” Beatrice Pilloud, the Valais region's attorney general, told reporters Friday during a news conference in Sion.

Pope Leo said in a telegram Friday to the bishop of Sion that he " wishes to express his compassion and concern to the relatives of the victims. He prays that the Lord will welcome the deceased into His abode of peace and light, and will sustain the courage of those who suffer in their hearts or in their bodies.”

— “We have numerous accounts of heroic actions, one could say of very strong solidarity in the moment,” Cantonal head of government Mathias Reynard told RTS radio Friday. "In the first minutes it was citizens — and in large part young people — who saved lives with their courage.”

— “Switzerland is a strong country not because it is sheltered from drama, but because it knows how to face them with courage and a spirit of mutual help," Swiss President Guy Parmelin, speaking on his first day in the position that changes hands annually, told reporters Thursday.

People bring flowers near the sealed off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)

A woman holding a stuffed animal, whose daughter is missing, gather with others near the sealed-off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)

People light candles near the sealed off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)