A Russian envoy had held talks with Burkina Faso’s acting president, Ibrahim Traore on Thursday, August 31, to deliberate on a possible military cooperation, according to a statement released by the Burkinabe presidency.
The statement had further revealed that the Russian Deputy Defence Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov had led the meeting and the meeting had been a follow-up to the discussions between Traore and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg back in July 2023.
The military-led West African country’s relations with Moscow has been in the spotlight since it ousted the French troops in February, sustaining the speculation that it would increase security ties with Russia, just like Mali had done, where Russian Wagner mercenaries are presently in operation.
The meeting had touched upon the areas of cooperation, the principle concern of the military domain, including the training of Burkinabe officer cadets and officers at all levels, including pilots in Russia.
The statement, however, had not stated if Russian military trainers would be sent to Burkina Faso.
This visit could probably be a sign that Moscow is looking to bolster up its influence in Africa in the aftermath of the death of the mercenary leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who, through the Wagner Group, constructed a network of interests across several African countries and beyond.
