Moscow will expand its military instructor presence in Burkina Faso, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced Wednesday during a visit to the West African nation as part of a broader regional tour.
“Russian instructors work here, and their number will increase,” Lavrov said at a news conference in Ouagadougou.
“We are also training members of Burkina Faso’s armed forces and security personnel in Russia.”
Since relations with Western countries deteriorated following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow has been striving to expand its influence in Africa.
Lavrov arrived in Burkina Faso late Tuesday and engaged in talks with the military regime leader, Captain Ibrahim Traore.
After seizing power in September 2022, Burkina Faso’s coup leaders expelled French troops and diplomats, opting for military support from Moscow instead.
“We have had relations with Burkina Faso for a long time, and the arrival of President Traore has given these relations new impetus,” Lavrov stated.
“I’m confident that through this collaboration, we will effectively eliminate the remaining terrorist enclaves in Burkina Faso,” Lavrov affirmed, addressing the ongoing jihadist insurgency in the country since 2015.
Lavrov’s visit to Burkina Faso marks the third leg of his extensive African tour, following visits to Guinea and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
His next stop is Chad, where General Mahamat Idriss Deby, who led a military junta for three years, has recently been elected president.
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