Burkina Faso Seeks Russia's Help in Fight Against Terrorism, Condemns Western Media Bias, FM Says

In response to Ukraine's support for terrorism in Africa, the international community must react, Burkina Faso's Minister of Foreign Affairs Karamoko Jean Marie Traore told Sputnik Africa in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the first Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum in Russia's Sochi.

"We have all witnessed this admission from the representative of Ukraine confirming that they have supported terrorism. It is time for the international community to tackle this issue head-on. The responsibility to manage terrorism does not only fall on the countries where it prevails," the foreign minister said.

Traore stressed that Burkina Faso and Mali have paid a high "macabre toll" due to terrorism and cannot accept that the international community remains passive. It is not normal that "the whole world stops" when such events happen in the West yet when they occur in the Sahel, they are put on a "list of neglected incidents," he added.

Burkina Faso's army has its own resources to fight terrorism, but the country can benefit from sharing its experience with Moscow, the diplomat pointed out.

"We have troops that are increasingly seasoned and gaining more and more experience. Naturally, in collaboration with countries like Russia, there is an exchange of experience, and that is what we are doing with Russia, also benefiting from Russia's experience in this field," he noted.

In Face of Western Media Dictatorship, Sputnik Allows Countries to Tell Their Side of Story

The dictatorship of the Western media, imposes "glasses on you" and a way of seeing the world that does not correspond to reality, while Sputnik allows the countries to tell their side of the story, Traore said.

In such a dynamic, it is normal to have actors who nevertheless stay on the line of fairness, and who offer the possibility of nuance and of correction, the minister explained.

"Sputnik does this very well; it is a space that allows countries to put their version of history in this context," he emphasized.

The top diplomat questioned the legitimacy of the Western media in reporting on African realities.

"Some media, a few hours away by plane, stay at home and tell you where the holes are under the roof of the house you live in," the minister joked.

Western media that claim to protect fundamental rights give a platform to people "internationally recognized as terrorists and murderers," the speaker argued.

"As soon as there's an unfortunate incident involving a few victims, all the Western media broadcast it thousands of times," Traore said.

The foreign minister also explained the country's broadcast suspension of several Western media.

"So we can't accept that when our troops achieve success, there's no coverage in their media, and it's only when the terrorists talk or manage to steal some equipment, do all the media come."

Russia 'Had Courage' to Offer Burkina Faso 'What Others Refused to'

Moscow came to the aid of the countries of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) at a time when they were "politically and economically isolated," Traore noted.

While the AES countries couldn't even afford to buy ammunition, and "everyone else was hypocritically pretending" to share their pain, Russia reached out to the Sahelian countries, the top diplomat emphasized.

"Russia showed up at the right time and had the courage to offer us what others refused because it recognized the gravity of the situation, the injustice that our countries were suffering. You can't handcuff a farmer and make him to cultivate his field. You cannot do that. That is what we are facing in the Sahel," the foreign minister explained.

Burkina Faso has realized that it must rely only on itself to get by after the failure of certain partnerships, particularly military ones, the speaker continued.

"We've been [in partnership] with countries that claimed to support our troops. But in reality, take the case of Mali: when you support an army and your own soldiers are obliged to come with their own weapons, to pay for their own ammunition to come and train. I don't know what happens to the money that was agreed on your behalf in your absence," the top diplomat pointed out.

The minister also stressed that African solutions are needed for African problems, without "receiving lessons from anyone" abroad.

"We are here to support this vision because Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have created the Confederation and the Alliance of Sahel States in this spirit. It is a local instrument, a process led by our heads of state, supported by our populations, and it is an alternative that fits a local context. And we intend to support this alternative because we believe it is the best response to the situation we are experiencing," he concluded.