The Prime Minister of Burkina Faso, Apollinaire Joachimson Kyelem de Tambela, has called on France to provide weapons and funding to support the operations of ‘volunteers’ recruited by the authorities to reinforce the army’s work against terrorist groups, amid increasing insecurity in the African country.
Kyelem de Tambela has conveyed the request to the French ambassador in Burkina Faso, Luc Hallade, to whom he has communicated that Paris could support the ‘volunteers’ through the delivery of ammunition and weapons, as well as by assuming costs through the payment of salaries, according to a statement published by the Burkinabe government.
During the meeting, the latest demonstrations in the African country to demand the withdrawal of French troops and the impossibility for French NGOs to move on the ground because of insecurity were also discussed. «That is the reason why they should help with the necessary material to defeat terrorism,» argued Kyelem de Tambela.
The prime minister has acknowledged that the possible departure of members of the French special forces is on the table, while rejecting Paris’ criticism of a possible request for help from Russia. «The Burkinabe are looking for a lifeline for their country. If this lifeline must come from another country than France, why not?» he has wondered.
Burkina Faso, ruled by a military junta since the January coup d’état against the then president, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, has generally experienced a significant increase in insecurity since 2015, leading to a wave of internally displaced persons and refugees to other countries in the region.
The junta is now headed by Ibrahim Traoré, who led an uprising in September that was considered a ‘palace coup’ by a sector opposed to the hitherto leader, Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba –who has fled to Togo. Ouagadougou has also bet on a possible rapprochement with Russia, which has unleashed Western criticism.
The attacks, the work of both Al Qaeda and Islamic State affiliates in the region, have also contributed to an increase in inter-community violence and have led to the flourishing of self-defense groups, to which the Burkinabe government has added ‘volunteers’ to help in the fight against terrorism.
