Russia’s defence minister, Andrei Belousov and Prime Minister of Burkina Faso, Apollinaire J. Kyelem de Tambela, discussed expanding military ties in Moscow, Russia’s defence ministry said on Tuesday.

Moscow has been pursuing a combination of military, diplomatic, and economic interests in Africa, vying with the West for influence after Russia’s war in Ukraine triggered the biggest confrontation between Moscow and Washington in decades.

After President Vladimir Putin’s landslide win in Russia’s presidential election in March, some newspapers in Africa saw Mr Putin’s re-election as reinforcing the stance of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.

Burkina Faso, under military leadership since a 2022 coup, has played host to contingents of the Wagner mercenary force, whose founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, was killed in a plane crash in 2024.

In June, Russia said it was sending additional military supplies and instructors to Burkina Faso to help the West African country boost its defence capabilities and fight terrorism.

According to United Nations data, Moscow has invested very little in Africa.

Its arms exports to sub-Saharan Africa have fallen in recent years, according to 2023 data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

However, Russia is still the second-largest supplier of weapons to the region.

At the 2023 Russia-Africa Summit in St. Petersburg, Mr Putin said Moscow signed military-technical agreements with 40 African countries, which potentially opened the door for more Russian arms sales to the region.

Russia-Burkina relations are based on the principles of mutual respect and consideration of each other’s interests, and have acquired positive dynamics in recent years,” the Russian defence ministry cited Belousov as saying in a post on the Telegram messaging app. 

(Reuters/NAN)