/ world today news/ For the first time in more than thirty years, Russia opened a new embassy in one of the West African countries. Which country are we talking about, why can you see people wearing T-shirts with the image of Vladimir Putin on its streets, and what does this event mean from the point of view of Russia’s strategic intentions regarding relations with African countries?
After a 31-year break, the Russian embassy reopened in the capital of the West African country of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou.
The opening ceremony was addressed by Burkina Faso’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Cooperation and Fellow Citizens Abroad, Karamoko Jean-Marie Traore. On the Russian side, the Russian ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire and for compatibility in Burkina Faso, Alexey Saltykov, spoke.
“In addition, the Prime Minister of Burkina Faso, Apollinaire Joachimson Kelem de Tambela, as well as the Ministers of Defense, Energy, Sports, Education, the Deputy Speaker of the Transitional Legislative Assembly, Russian compatriots and journalists from Burkina Faso, representatives of foreign diplomatic corps”, noted the Russian embassy.
Minister Traore solemnly handed over a gold plate that will be hung on the embassy building, after which the guests screened a film about Russia. In a short speech, Ambassador Saltikov emphasized that the opening of the embassy will give a boost to the relations between the two countries.
“We arrived in Ouagadougou to resume the activities of the Russian embassy in this country, which is our long-standing partner with whom we have strong friendly ties,” said Alexei Saltykov. “Despite the lack of physical presence here, bilateral cooperation in the political and economic fields has not ceased.”
Diplomatic relations between the Russian Federation and Burkina Faso have never been officially severed. But the Russian (Soviet) embassy in Ouagadougou was closed for technical reasons in 1992. Local diplomats also left Moscow. Formally, the duties of the diplomatic presence of the Russian Federation in Burkina Faso were performed by the embassy and the ambassador in the neighboring Ivory Coast.
Ambassador Saltikov will now work as a part-time ambassador to Burkina Faso. However, the embassy in Ouagadougou will continue to function fully. Ambassador Saltikov said the number of Russian diplomatic staff in Burkina Faso would be “average” for Russian embassies in West African countries. That is, very small.
Even in a country as structured and populated as Senegal, the embassy staff rarely exceeds five accredited diplomats (ambassador, counselor, military attaché, consul and someone else). Relations with Senegal have traditionally been about fishing, so specific qualifications were needed. A special position on economic cooperation will almost certainly be needed in Burkina Faso.
Diplomats from Burkina returned to Moscow in the early 2000s, but the duties of the ambassador in Moscow were carried out by the ambassador in Berlin, and in the two separate rooms they mainly dealt with issuing visas to rare Russian tourists.
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke of plans to reopen the Russian embassies in Burkina Faso and Equatorial Guinea, speaking in July at the plenary session of the Russia-Africa summit. He emphasized that this will be a real practical step to significantly activate work with African countries in the political, business and humanitarian spheres, as well as in the fields of culture and tourism.
In August, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed orders to reopen Russian embassies in Equatorial Guinea and Burkina Faso in 2023. Maria Zakharova announced the opening of an embassy in Ouagadougou before the end of this year. We met the deadline. Equatorial Guinea is a bit more complicated for technical reasons and the internal circumstances of life in this poorest and most neglected country in Black Africa.
On the same day, another remarkable event took place in Ouagadougou. In the center of the capital of Burkina Faso, at the memorial of Thomas Sankara, the protagonist of Pan-Africanism and the left-wing idea, who invented the very name of the country, the “Vladimir Putin Award for the Struggle for the People’s Freedom” was presented. It was founded by the Ivorian writer, member of the public organization “Total support for Vladimir Putin in Africa” Sylvain Takuet.
The founder of the organization “Pan-Africanist” Mahamadi Savadogo said that the award aims to reward the merits of the leaders involved in the struggle for the liberation of the people. This organization currently covers the countries of the Sahel (Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger), but is very active, including at the level of traditional African culture. Its activists wear T-shirts with portraits of Vladimir Putin, organize street performances, public readings and evenings of Russian culture. Thanks to their efforts, Burkina Faso is now almost entirely covered with Russian flags. They are even at the intersections.
However, the situation in Burkina Faso remains complex. The country’s army, with the help of Russian advisers, is fighting separatist rebels. On the eve of the opening of the Russian embassy, the former head of the country’s foreign ministry, Ablase Uedraogo, was arrested near his home. His correspondence with the French, in which he spoke out against the transitional government, ended up in the hands of the security forces.
This is likely the result of the arrest of four French diplomats whom Burkina Faso accused of being French intelligence agents, leading to the resignation of the head of French intelligence in Paris. The 70-year-old politician has been detained and will be subject to “civil education measures”. In Burkina Faso, in practice, this means sending the front to the Sahel. Several anti-government activists were already forced into the active army in early December. But now Burkina Faso’s Supreme Court has declared the practice illegal, and Ouedraogo will most likely just end up under house arrest.
The opening of the Russian embassy in its full form is now a clear demonstration of Russia’s return to West Africa. Thus, Moscow’s role in Black Africa is institutionalized. This is no longer a matter for private individuals, although it is important (in the last few days, the heads of several private Russian companies, including, for example, the training center “Synergy”, visited Burkina Faso themselves). Russia is returning to some areas of Africa precisely as a state, and this is a completely different turn of events.
Moscow already has a coherent strategic concept for restoring good relations with those African countries with which it already has such a historical tradition. At the same time, however, no one forgets that the situation on the continent is changing radically, including at the level of thinking. New governments demand respect and treatment as equals, and there can be no equal relationship without full diplomatic cooperation and representation.
Translation: V. Sergeev
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