Africa Defense Forum, published by U.S. Africa Command, posted on 20 February 2024 an article titled "Burkina Faso Opens Door for Russia's Africa Corps."
A Russian contingent of 100 military personnel has arrived in Burkina Faso to ensure the safety of the country's military leader, Ibrahim Traore. The Africa Corps, the successor of the Wagner Group, is under the control of Russia's Ministry of Defense.
Reuters published on 25 January 2024 an article titled "Russian Troops Deploy to Burkina Faso."
Russia sent 100 troops to Burkina Faso on 24 January to "ensure the safety of the country's leader Ibrahim Traore and the Burkinabe people." Russia's defense ministry said it plans to send 200 more troops.
Comment: A contingent of 300 Russian troops is hardly sufficient to ensure the safety of the Burkinabe people. This looks more like a bodyguard for the personal protection of Ibrahim Traore and trainers for an elite presidential guard. The troops also appear to be part of Russia's new Africa Corps, which has replaced the mercenary Wagner Group.
The Washington Post published on 21 October 2023 an article titled "Spy vs Spy: How Israelis Tried to Stop Russia's Information War in Africa" by Elizabeth Dwoskin.
Russia has been running a successful information campaign using social media that was crucial in evicting French forces and UN peacekeepers in Mali and in establishing new alliances in the Sahel region. Western governments have failed to appreciate the impact of Russia's online strategy in Africa, which includes both covert operations and more public ones such as paying local influencers to fly to Russia.
