OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — Russia's Foreign Minister on Wednesday pledged more support to Burkina Faso in the fight against militant groups, as he pressed whirlwind tour through West Africa in an attempt to fill the vacuum left by the traditional Western partners in the region.
Sergey Lavrov spoke at a press conference in the country's capital, Ouagadougou, as he was on the third leg of his latest trip to Africa, after Guinea and the Republic of Congo.
Russia is trying to shore up support from the region amid Moscow's large-scale invasion of Ukraine. In recent years, a number of African countries have expressed growing frustration with their traditional Western partners, such as France and the United States.
“Russian instructors have worked here and their numbers will increase,” Lavrov said, adding that Russia has helped train Burkina Faso's military and law enforcement personnel. “We have provided and will continue to provide military equipment to help strengthen Burkina Faso's defense capabilities and enable the country to eliminate the remaining terrorist groups.”
Lavrov said he appreciated Burkina Faso's “objective and fair” position on the war in Ukraine. “For our part, we are ready to lend our support to the just cause of Africans who are trying to free themselves from neo-colonial influence.”
Burkina Faso, a country of 20 million people, has been ravaged over the past eight years by violence from extremist groups loosely linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State, and by fighting between government forces and militants.
The country also suffered two coups in just 10 months, the second last year after which a military junta threw out French troops and turned to Russia for security support. However, the junta has struggled to manage the security and humanitarian crisis.
According to the Norwegian Refugee Council, Burkina Faso has topped the list of the world's largest neglected crises for the second year in a row. A record 6.3 million of the country's 20 million people will need humanitarian assistance by 2024, the aid agency said, with many on the brink of starvation. Two million people are still displaced, about 60% of whom are children. Many are traumatized, but The resources to help them are scarce.
Jan Egeland, the agency's secretary general, told The Associated Press that Western governments have withdrawn financial aid from Burkina Faso and other countries in the Sahel, a region that includes states on the edge of the Sahara, contributing to the vicious circle of poverty. , violence and extremism.
“The West's withdrawal will not give them any influence in the region,” Egeland said. “But I have not seen Russia assist our humanitarian work or implement development programs, so Russia's approach will not bring the relief people need.”
But he added: “I see Russian flags in Burkina Faso. I don't see any European flags.”
Later Wednesday, Lavrov arrived in Chad, which is also on the list of the world's neglected crises.
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Pronczuk reported from Dakar, Senegal.
