Burkina Faso’s interim President Ibrahim Traore on Thursday hailed Russia as a key strategic ally but denied the accusation that Russian mercenaries were helping the country’s forces in fighting with Islamist armed groups, reported Reuters.
Burkina Faso’s growing closeness with Moscow has been in the limelight since the interim government asked France to withdraw its troops from the country and ended an accord that allowed French troops to fight insurgents there.
In a televised interview, Traore was asked about Burkina Faso’s international allies who were now helping the country in its fight against the militant groups in the broader Sahel region.
“The departure of the French army does not mean that France is not an ally,” the interim president replied. “But we have strategic allies too. We have new forms of cooperation. Russia, for example, is a strategic ally.”
He said Russia was a major supplier of military equipment to Burkina Faso and would remain so He said he is satisfied with Russia’s frank cooperation.
Western countries have expressed concern about Russia’s widening lurch in Africa’s Sahel and its border regions. Last year, France withdrew its forces from Mali after the military junta began working with Russian military contractor Wagner Group to fight the insurgents linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State.
When asked to comment on reports of the presence of Wagner forces in Burkina Faso, Traore said the country’s military fights alone. He said the news of Wagner’s presence in the country was spread so that other countries don’t cooperate with Burkina Faso.
Last year, Burkina Faso witnessed two coups by the military, who accused the government of failing to deal with Islamist militants. The military has promised to retake control of the country from militant groups but has so far failed to stop attacks.
Thousands of people already have been killed by jihadists linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group and some 2 million people displaced.
