Russia Promises More Military Support to Burkina Faso

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Facts

• On his latest Africa tour, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday pledged more military support to Burkina Faso after holding talks with Ibrahim Traoré, the leader of the interim military government.¹
• Lavrov announced that the number of 'Russian instructors' in the West African country will increase and that Moscow will continue to supply military equipment 'to eliminate the remaining terrorist groups.'²
• Given the increasingly close bilateral ties, Lavrov described Moscow's ongoing efforts to train members of the armed forces and law enforcement personnel in Burkina Faso as 'very concrete' and highly advanced.³
• Calling Burkina Faso's stance on the Ukraine war as 'objective and fair,' Lavrov added that Russia is ready to support Africans who want to 'free themselves from neo-colonial influence.'⁴
• The Norwegian Refugee Council recently named Burkina Faso the world's most neglected displacement crisis for the second consecutive year. In 2023, about 2M people were displaced, and over 8K people were reportedly killed amid a long-running conflict with Islamist insurgents.⁵
• Burkina Faso was Lavrov's third stop on his Africa trip after visiting Guinea on Monday and the Republic of Congo on Tuesday. Leading a large delegation, the Russian top diplomat continued his trip to Chad on Wednesday.⁶

Sources: ¹The Moscow Times, ²Associated Press, ³Insider Paper, ⁴teleSURenglish, ⁵Dw.Com and ⁶Modern Ghana.

Narratives

• Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by RT. Lavrov's Africa tour highlights Russia's growing strategic relevance to Africa and its growing popularity. Moscow is building on its anti-imperialist legacy and positions itself as a credible partner, unlike the West and its neo-colonialist and imperialist policies. This mutual trust creates a win-win situation, with Moscow consolidating its position internationally while African countries gain a partner that respects their national sovereignty.
• Anti-Russia narrative, as provided by CNN. Russia's increasing commitment to Africa is primarily due to its growing international isolation following its Ukraine invasion. For years, the US warned that Russia is aggressively seeking to expand its influence in Africa — without achieving any tangible success in combating Islamist terror. Moscow presents itself as an advocate for poor African countries but is merely pursuing the Kremlin's goal of securing the loyalty of authoritarian regimes to counter the West.

Predictions