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Dozens of Russian military instructors land in Burkina: sources
Abidjan, June 18 (AFP) Jun 18, 2024
Dozens of Russian military instructors have arrived in insurgency-hit Burkina Faso following a jihadist attack in the restive north about which the authorities have remained silent, sources said Tuesday.

After taking power in September 2022, the West African country's coup leaders expelled troops and diplomats from former colonial ruler France and have turned to Russia for military assistance.

"Two rotations of planes carrying Russian instructors arrived in Burkina due to the situation," an African diplomatic source said, speaking on condition of anonymity, adding that the flights came from neighbouring Mali, another junta-led nation which has forged closer ties with Moscow.

An independent source also confirmed the arrival of the instructors -- a term used for former fighters from Russia's Wagner mercenary group, now regrouped under a new body called the Africa Corps.

Jihadist rebels affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group have waged a grinding insurgency since 2015 in Burkina Faso that has killed thousands and displaced two million people.

On June 11, an Al-Qaeda-affiliated group attacked the northeastern region of Mansila and a military contingent located near the border with Niger.

No official toll has been given but according to a security source many people are thought to have died.

A day later, a mortar landed in the courtyard of the office of the state-run television network, located near the presidency in the capital Ouagadougou.

On Tuesday evening, the Burkinabe army slammed what it called unfounded and false "rumours on social media" that mutinies were underway in some military barracks.

The cabinet is due to meet on Wednesday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who visited Burkina Faso this month, said the number of Russian military instructors there "will increase".

"At the same time, we are training in Russia representatives of the armed forces and security forces of Burkina Faso," he said in Ouagadougou.


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