1 year ago
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Burkina Faso President Capt Ibrahim Traoré seized powerfulness successful September promising to reverse gains made by Islamist militants
Burkina Faso's subject authorities person summoned Ghana's ambassador implicit allegations they person hired Russian mercenaries to assistance combat jihadists.
Wagner Group's beingness successful Burkina Faso was "distressing" said Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo.
Burkina Faso has been struggling to incorporate Islamist militants who run successful galore parts of the country.
Neighbouring Mali faces a akin situation and is already wide believed to beryllium moving with Wagner.
Since Capt Ibrahim Traoré seized powerfulness successful Burkina Faso successful September, determination had been wide speculation that helium mightiness travel suit and commencement moving with Russian mercenaries.
Both countries person already chopped long-standing information ties with France, the erstwhile assemblage power.
While visiting Ghana, the UK's Minister for Development and Africa Andrew Mitchell said Britain was acrophobic astir the activities of Russian mercenaries successful West Africa.
Mr Mitchell told the BBC that Russia's beingness successful the portion was "neither constructive nor helpful."
Capt Traoré has promised to triumph backmost territory from the jihadists, and to clasp antiauthoritarian elections successful July 2024.
His authorities has besides recalled the Burkinabe ambassador successful Accra for a "consultation" implicit comments made by the Ghanaian president.
President Akufo-Addo, speaking connected the sidelines of the US-Africa acme successful Washington DC connected Wednesday, said Ghana's bluish neighbour had made a woody with the mercenary group.
"Today, Russian mercenaries are connected our bluish border. Burkina Faso has present entered into an statement to spell on with Mali successful employing the Wagner forces there," helium said.
He besides said that Burkina Faso had ceded a mine, reportedly with golden reserves, adjacent the borderline with Ghana successful speech for the group's services to woody with the militant insurgency that began successful 2015.
In caller weeks, hundreds of radical fleeing militants attacks successful Burkina Faso person crossed the borderline into bluish Ghana.
So far, determination has not been immoderate authoritative confirmation astir an statement betwixt the Wagner Group and Burkina Faso, adjacent though Prime Minister Apollinaire Kyelem precocious visited Russia.
The reports that Mali was moving with Wagner fighters were 1 crushed wherefore France withdrew its forces from the state successful August - aft astir a decennary of helping to combat jihadist fighters successful the country.
The details of immoderate pact betwixt Mali and the mercenary group, which has been accused of committing atrocities successful the country, including sidesplitting civilians, remains unclear.
Jihadists attacks person continued successful galore parts of the state contempt the beingness of the Russian mercenaries, described arsenic instructors by Mali's subject authorities.
Wagner besides has fighters successful Libya, Central African Republic and Mozambique.
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Additional reporting by Thomas Naadi successful Ghana
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