Russia and Burkina Faso are talking about working together on security issues

The defense minister of Russia, Andrei Belousov, and the prime minister of Burkina Faso, Apollinaire J. Kyelem de Tambela, talked about strengthening military ties in Moscow on Tuesday, the Russian defense ministry said.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Moscow has been pursuing a mix of military, diplomatic, and economic goals in Africa. It is competing with the West for power after its war in Ukraine caused the biggest fight between Moscow and Washington in decades.

Some newspapers in Africa thought that Putin’s re-election as president of Russia in March would make Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger even more staunch in their opposition to the government.

Burkina Faso has been run by the military since a coup in 2022. It has been home to members of the Wagner mercenary group, whose founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, died in a plane crash in 2024.

In June, Russia said it would send more military equipment and advisers to Burkina Faso to help the west African country fight terrorism and improve its defenses.

DUE TO THE NUMBERS

UN data opens in new tab shows that Moscow hasn’t put much money into Africa so far. Its arms sales to sub-Saharan Africa have gone down over the past few years, according to statistics from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute for 2023. But Russia is still the second-biggest source of arms for the area.

Putin said that Moscow signed military-technical agreements with 40 African countries at the 2023 Russia-Africa Summit in St. Petersburg. These agreements could make it easier for Russia to sell more weapons to the area.

Important Quote

In a post on the messaging app Telegram, Belousov was quoted by the Russian defense ministry as saying, “Relations between Russia and Burkina Faso are based on the principles of mutual respect and consideration of each other’s interests and have gained positive dynamics in recent years.”