![[FILE] People walk on a sand dune in the sunset over the Lompoul desert, Western Senegal, Sunday 16 May 2004. EPA/FILE/NIC BOTHMA](https://i0.wp.com/efe.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/rss-efebba48297cabbf51064095eb905f0c0531ae376f5w.jpg?fit=1920%2C1297&ssl=1)
Moscow, Dec 24 (EFE).- Russia Tuesday accused the United States of expanding a clandestine network of military biological laboratories in Africa, claiming the facilities pose undisclosed risks to the host nations.
Russian Deputy Chief of Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defense Alexei Rtischev alleged that the documents in their possession confirm that “the military-biological presence of the United States on the African continent is expanding at an alarming rate.”
During a press conference, he highlighted that countries such as Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Senegal are among those impacted, citing the near-completion of a $35 million laboratory complex in one of these nations.
Rtischev accused Washington of leveraging existing infrastructure and scientific capabilities in African countries to conduct military biological research.
“The United States does not disclose the ultimate goals of these experiments to its partners, who are often unaware of the risks associated with American programs,” he said.
The press conference marked the first public appearance by a senior official of Russia’s radiological and chemical defense unit since the assassination of its chief, General Igor Kirillov, last week.
Kirillov, who had been vocal about alleged US bio-labs in Ukraine, was killed in a bombing attack outside his home in Moscow. EFE
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