The two soldiers wish to “strengthen the Ouagadougou-Bamako axis” in countries faced with the violence of jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaida and the Islamic State.
Le Monde with AFP
The new strong man of Burkina Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, arrived on Wednesday October 2 in Bamako in Mali, for a first trip abroad since his coup d’etat of September 30, noted a journalist of the ‘AFP.
He was welcomed at the exit of his plane by the head of the Malian junta, Colonel Assimi Goïta. The two men then wasolated themselves to meet in a living room at the airport. We “have had fruitful exchanges around the major challenges that impact the peace and stability of our states,” said the Malian leader in the evening.
Mali and Burkina are led by putschist soldiers who took power there respectively in August 2020 and January 2022 and are both faced with the violence of jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaida and the Islamic State .
“This friendship and work visit aims to strengthen the Ouagadougou-Bamako axis,” said the presidency of Burkina Faso earlier in a statement. “The Burkinabé head of state intends to insist on the strengthening of bilateral cooperation and the pooling of combat means”, according to the press release.
presence of the French army
Bamako has pushed the French troops present in Mali since 2013 and turned to Russia to the exit to help him fight these groups with in particular the presence of Russian “instructors” which, according to Western countries, are mercenaries of the Wagner paramilitary group.
Since the January 24 coup of Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, overthrew eight months later by Captain Traoré, Burkina Faso did not break with the French army which continued to participate Alongside the Burkinabé army in the fight against anti -jihadist.
But the supporters of Captain Traoré have shown several times in Ouagadougou by brandishing Russian flags, attacking French interests and demanding the departure of some 400 soldiers from the French special forces present in Burkina Faso.
“Perhaps with the new [safe] deal, we will re-examine our relations with Russia to see whether it is necessary to strengthen it in a sector or not, whether to redirect it in the interest of Burkina Faso and respecting his sovereignty, “the new Burkinabé Prime Minister, Appolinaire Kyelem de Tembela, said on Sunday. But, he warned, “it’s not on the street to tell us to do this or that”.
In several French -speaking African countries, Moscow enjoys popular popular support when France, a former colonial power, is more and more vilified.