“We listened to the Ghanaian ambassador and informed him of the position of the government which considers very serious the remarks coming from a head of state, moreover from a friendly and neighboring country”, declared the Minister Delegate in charge of Regional Cooperation, Karamoko Jean Marie Traoré.
Earlier in the day, Ghana’s Ambassador to Burkina had been summoned and held talks with Mr. Traoré while the Burkinabè Ambassador to Accra had been recalled for consultations.
“These 48 hours have been marked by the remarks of President Nana Akufo Addo on an alleged contract award between the transitional government and a private Russian company. A note verbale of protest was sent to Ghana“, explained Minister Traoré, affirming that Burkina was “deeply affected” by these statements.
On December 14, during an interview in Washington with the American Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, Ghanaian President Akufo-Addo assured that Burkina had “concluded an arrangement to, like Mali, employ Wagner forces”.
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“I believe a mine in southern Burkina was allocated to them as a form of payment for their services”he added, specifying that according to him “Russian mercenaries are on the northern border” you Ghana.
Not “sow doubt”
During his meeting with the Minister, the Ambassador of Ghana, Boniface Gambila Adagbila, assured that the remarks of its President “did not aim to condemn Burkina Faso, nor to sow doubt in people’s minds”according to the minutes of the meeting, published by the Burkinabè Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“The intention was above all to attract the attention of partners in order to arouse great interest in Burkina Faso”added the ambassador, quoted in the press release.
In response, Minister Traoré considered that the “Ghana might have undertaken exchanges with the Burkinabè authorities on the security issue in order to have the right information”.
In several French-speaking African countries, Moscow is leading an active campaign of influence, particularly on social networks and enjoys growing popular support when France, a former colonial power, is increasingly vilified there.
Several countries accuse the junta in power in Mali of using the services of Wagner, reputed to be close to the Moscow regime, which Bamako denies.
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The question of a possible rapprochement with Russia has also arisen in Burkina since the September 30 coup, the second in eight months, which brought Captain Ibrahim Traoré to power, while the country is struggling to cope with recurrent deadly jihadist attacks since 2015.
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On December 12, the Prime Minister of Burkina Faso, Apollinaire Kyélem de Tembela, met in Moscow with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov to discuss “Priority Issues for Strengthening Relationships” between the two countries, according to a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Asked regarding this trip, the Burkinabè government spokesman declined to comment. Apollinaire Kyélem de Tembela had affirmed at the end of October that he did not rule out re-examining the “reports” of his country with Russia.
“We will try, as much as possible, to diversify our partnership relations until we find the right formula for the interests of Burkina Faso. But there will be no question of letting ourselves be dominated by one partner, whoever he is.“, he said in mid-November.