Ouagadougou and Bamako note that the security situation is not improving. The leaders of the ruling juntas in Mali and Burkina Faso, two Sahelian countries plagued by attacks from Islamist groups, have decided to “strengthen their military partnership”indicated, Sunday, September 4, the presidency of Burkina Faso.
Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who came to power in a putsch in January, met in Bamako with his Malian counterpart Colonel Assimi Goïta, who also came to power in a coup in May 2021, for a “work and friendship visit” of a few hours.
This is the first trip abroad of the head of the Burkinabè junta. Burkina Faso and Mali share a border of more than a thousand kilometers, an area affected by numerous deadly attacks by jihadist groups. “We intend, in the days to come, to better examine and strengthen the military partnership that exists between us, to better meet the security challenges that the populations, our peoples are facing”, said the Burkinabè president in a press release.
At the end of August, Burkina Faso and Niger, countries also hit by these Islamist groups, had invited Bamako to “come back to take responsibility” within the framework of sub-regional cooperation in the fight against jihadism.
In mid-May, Mali decided to withdraw from the G5 Sahel and its joint force, a military alliance fighting against jihadist groups, citing a “Autonomy loss” and “an instrumentalization” within this regional organization formed with Mauritania, Chad, Burkina and Niger. The Malian junta has gradually turned away from France and its allies to turn towards Russia. The French army, pushed towards the exit, transferred to the Malian authorities its various bases in Mali and left the country in August after nine years of engagement against the jihadists.
After Niamey and Bamako, Ouagadougou also wants to turn to Abidjan. An interview is scheduled for Monday, September 5 between the Burkinabè president and his Ivorian counterpart Alassane Ouattara. Burkina and Côte d’Ivoire share a border of nearly 600 kilometers and thousands of Burkinabè refugees have fled the jihadist attacks affecting their country in recent years to find refuge in the north of Côte d’Ivoire, less affected by these violence.
Burkina Faso, where the junta has promised to make the anti-jihadist fight its priority, is facing, like several neighboring countries, the violence of armed jihadist movements affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, which have been fighting there since 2015. thousands of dead and some two million displaced. More than 40% of Burkina’s territory is outside state control, according to official figures, and attacks have increased since the start of the year.