Burkina Faso and Russia discuss possible military cooperation

With the aim of further strengthening bilateral relations, a Russian delegation recently travelled to Burkina Faso to meet with the nation's military leader, Ibrahim Traoré. During the meeting, the two sides discussed possible military cooperation, the Burkina Faso presidency announced in a statement.

According to Ouagadougou, the meeting with the Russian delegation, led by Russian Deputy Defence Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, was a follow-up to talks between Traoré and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg last July. 

The recent meeting in Burkina Faso addressed "areas of cooperation that mainly concern the military sphere, including the training of Burkinabe cadet officers and officers at all levels, including pilots in Russia," according to the presidency communiqué.

Ties between Burkina Faso and Russia have deepened since the September 2022 Traoré-led coup against Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who in turn orchestrated a military uprising against President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré in January of the same year.  

Russian influence in the country, as well as across the Sahel, has been the focus of international analysts and media attention, especially after Ouagadougou expelled French troops from the country in February, facilitating Russian expansion through the Wagner mercenary group, which is present in several nations on the continent and in the region, including neighbouring Mali, also led by a military junta. Wagner has emerged in the unstable and insecure Sahel as a reliable counter-terrorism partner, although it has also been accused of committing crimes against civilians.

As Reuters notes, this recent visit by the Russian delegation could be yet another sign that Moscow is seeking to strengthen its influence in Africa following the death of Wagner's boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who managed to consolidate his power and control in several regions of Africa - especially those with valuable natural resources or geostrategic importance - through his network of mercenaries.  

Russia's role has also been noted in the recent coup in Niger, where after the military uprising against elected president Mohamed Bazoum, pro-coup demonstrators waved Russian flags alongside Nigerien flags while shouting anti-French slogans. It is precisely this anti-French sentiment present in many former African colonies that has been used by Russian propaganda to spread across the continent.