Musings From Abroad

31 years after, Russia reopens its embassy in Burkina Faso

Published

11 months ago

December 29, 2023

Thirty-one years after shutting down its embassy in Burkina Faso, Russia has reopened its embassy in the West African country.

The move continues Russia’s recent rapprochement with Sahelian countries—Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, Chad, and Niger—all of whom are under military regimes with growing fractured relations with former colonialist, France.

During the reopening of the chancellery on Thursday, the Russian ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso, Alexeï Saltykov, asserted, “Today we are attending the ceremony for the resumption of activities of the Russian embassy in Ouagadougou.”

Attendees at the ceremony also included the chief of general staff of Burkina Faso’s army, Appolinaire Joachimson Kyélèm de Tambéla, the country’s prime minister, Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré, the minister of foreign affairs, and other government officials.

During the ceremony, Burkinabe diplomat, Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré, gave his assurance that “cooperation” between the two countries continued, noting that “the training of several of our executives” was one of the highlights of the 31-year-old Russian embassy closure.

Alexei Saltykov added that “Russia will continue to assist Burkina Faso for the training of specialists, national, civil and military executives.”

In addition, “we are determined to expand cooperation in the areas” of trade and the economy, said Mr. Saltykov.

“We hope that Burkinabe partners will gradually expand the range of products purchased from Russia, including agricultural machinery, mineral fertilisers, and equipment for the mining industry,” he continued.

Furthermore, “25,000 tonnes of wheat” representing “humanitarian aid from Russia” were “being transported to Burkina Faso”, indicated Mr. Saltykov.

The Russian diplomat, who had been living in Abidjan up until recently but had been visiting Ouagadougou frequently, continued by saying that he would take charge of the diplomatic mission in Burkina Faso until Russian President Vladimir Putin named an ambassador.

The “development” of ties with Burkina Faso has also been welcomed by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The reopening of the Russian embassy will help “increase coordination in terms of foreign policy” and consolidate the “relationships of friendship and cooperation” uniting these two countries, the ministry writes in a press release.

The recent international scramble for Sahelian countries has been divided between China for the economy and Russia for military support, but the dwindling influence of the West—particularly France and the United States—in the region has also triggered some policy reforms to reclaim their lost grounds in the sub-region.

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Musings From Abroad

UN Security Council deliberates stance on Sudan war

Published

18 hours ago

November 13, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

The UN Security Council is discussing a British-drafted resolution calling on Sudan’s warring parties to stop hostilities and permit safe, quick, and unimpeded assistance supplies across borders and front lines.

The world’s largest relocation crisis began in April 2023 when the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces engaged in a power battle ahead of a planned transfer to civilian administration.

Waves of ethnically motivated violence have resulted, with the RSF mostly to blame. The RSF has blamed the action on rogue actors and denies causing harm to civilians in Sudan. Two RSF generals were named last week by a Security Council committee in the first U.N. sanctions levied during the ongoing conflict.

“Nineteen months into the war, both sides are committing egregious human rights violations, including the widespread rape of women and girls,” Britain’s U.N. ambassador, Barbara Woodward, told reporters at the start of this month as Britain assumed the Security Council’s presidency for November.

“More than half the Sudanese population are experiencing severe food insecurity,” she said. “Despite this, the SAF and the RSF remain focussed on fighting each other and not the famine and suffering facing their country.”

According to diplomats, Britain wants to vote on the draft resolution as soon as possible. A resolution must receive nine votes or more to pass and not be vetoed by the United States, France, Britain, Russia, or China.

Nearly 25 million people, or half of Sudan’s population, require aid, according to the U.N., since 11 million people have abandoned their homes and famine has spread to displacement camps. Of those, around 3 million have departed for other nations.

In its draft language, Britain “demands that the warring parties immediately cease hostilities” and “demands that the Rapid Support Forces immediately halt its offensives” throughout Sudan.

It also “calls on the parties to the conflict to allow and facilitate the full, safe, rapid, and unhindered crossline and cross-border humanitarian access into and throughout Sudan.”

Additionally, the draft urges that assistance deliveries continue to be made through the Adre border crossing with Chad “and stresses the need to sustain humanitarian access through all border crossings, while humanitarian needs persist, and without impediments.”

Sudanese authorities have permitted the U.N. and relief organisations to enter Darfur through the Adre border crossing for three months, ending in mid-November.

Musings From Abroad

South Africa worry Trump’s victory might affect climate fight

Published

4 days ago

November 10, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

South Africa’s environment minister has expressed concern about the potential effects of Donald Trump’s victory on climate change negotiations.

The demise of Germany’s coalition government this week and Trump’s election coincide with COP29 negotiations to address global warming, which experts credit for this year’s devastating hurricanes, floods, and heatwaves.

“We are concerned about America because we don’t know what they’re going to do … how (it) is going to approach COP,” South African Environment Minister Dion George told Reuters.

“Mr. Trump said that he would withdraw from the Paris Agreement, but we don’t know what will happen,” George added in a telephone interview on Friday.

International partners are concerned that the prospect of an administration led by Trump, who has called climate change a hoax, will de-motivate poor and middle-income countries who want rich nations to shoulder more of its financial burden.

South Africa, which is one of the world’s top 15 greenhouse gas emitters and accounts for 30% of the continent’s emissions, has accepted $11.6 billion from rich nations, mainly in loans, for a switch from coal to renewable energy.

This is seen as a potential model for other ‘Global South’ countries who say financing pledges of $100 billion, which took years to come through, are insufficient.

“It’s certainly not enough. We need another target,” George said. “But then the question is: as the voter base is shifting in developed economies, are they actually going to pay it?”

The South African minister said he had been reassured by German officials that Europe’s stance at the COP29 climate talks will not be hurt by Berlin’s political crisis.

George said that Jennifer Morgan, Germany’s state secretary for international climate action, had contacted him to say it will be up to the European Union to maintain leadership.

“Their position is not changed and that is how they will approach COP,” George said, adding: “They’re on Team Europe. The European Union and German have clearly set out their objectives.”