Russia will give Burkina Faso greater military assistance and instructors

According to Russian official media, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated on Wednesday that Russia would be sending more military equipment and trainers to Burkina Faso in order to assist the west African nation in strengthening its defenses and combating terrorism.

Since a military coup in 2022, Burkina Faso has served as a base for Wagner mercenary forces, whose creator Yevgeny Prigozhin perished in an aircraft crash in August of last year.

“We have been very closely engaged in all areas of cooperation, including the development of military and military-technical ties, since the very first contacts between our countries after President (Ibrahim) Traoré came to power,” Lavrov was quoted by the TASS news agency as saying while on a visit to Burkina Faso.

He said during a press conference in the country’s capital, Ouagadougou, “I have no doubt that thanks to this cooperation, the remaining pockets of terrorism on the territory of Burkina Faso will be destroyed.”

Since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, Lavrov has traveled to several countries in Africa as Russia, which is subject to Western sanctions, looks for new trading partners and tries to unite developing nations behind its vision of a “multipolar world” in which the US and former European colonial powers are not in charge.

The U.S. and other Western governments are concerned about growing Russian security links with Africa, particularly nations like Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger where military leaders have taken over in coups.

Separately, on Wednesday, the RIA news agency revealed that negotiations for a bauxite mining concession are underway between the government of Sierra Leone and Russian aluminum company Rusal.

Rusal already operates in Guinea, a neighboring country.

The remarks were delivered by the minister of mines for Sierra Leone outside of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

Moreover, meetings between Sierra Leone and Alrosa, the leading producer of diamonds in Russia, were scheduled, although no specifics were given by RIA.