By Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced on Wednesday that Russia will increase the number of military instructors in Burkina Faso, a West African nation currently under military rule following a coup d’état in July 2022. During his visit to the capital city of Ouagadougou, Lavrov stated that Russian instructors are already working in the country and that their numbers will grow, while also training Burkinabe armed forces and law enforcement personnel in Russia.
In addition to providing military training, Russia plans to supply Burkina Faso with military products to bolster the country’s defense capabilities. Lavrov’s trip, during which he was accompanied by Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yevkurov, included a meeting with acting President Ibrahim Traoré, as reported by Russia’s Foreign Ministry.
Burkina Faso has been grappling with an ongoing and deadly internal conflict, with violence-related deaths doubling in the past year, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). In 2024 alone, hundreds of civilians have lost their lives in attacks, including around 170 in three villages in March and approximately 30 in separate mosque and church attacks in February.
The NRC has named Burkina Faso the world’s most neglected displacement crisis for the second consecutive year, with 6.3 million people in need of humanitarian assistance and over two million internally displaced.
US officials have long warned that both Russia and China are working to expand their influence in Africa. In 2019, Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, then-head of US Africa Command, stated that Russia was using mercenaries and arms sales to gain access to natural resources on the continent. More recently, in March 2024, Africa Command cautioned Congress that Russia was aggressively working to expand its foothold in Africa, with several countries at risk of falling under its influence.
Lavrov also expressed gratitude to Burkinabe leaders for their assistance in resolving issues that allowed Russia to resume the activities of its embassy in Ouagadougou, noting that Burkina Faso was the first country to do so quickly and effectively as part of a program to reestablish Russian diplomatic missions in Africa.
As Russia faces isolation from much of the world due to its invasion of Ukraine, the country appears to be renewing its overtures in Africa, raising concerns among US officials about the potential geopolitical implications of growing Russian influence in the region.
Credit: CNN
