Burkina Faso FM to Visit Russia for Bilateral Agreement Signing

By Al Mayadeen English

10 Feb 2026 22:34

Burkina Faso’s Foreign Minister Karamoko Jean-Marie Traore will visit Moscow on February 12–13 to sign foundational agreements on bilateral ties and launch a new intergovernmental commission with Russia.

Burkina Faso’s Foreign Minister, Karamoko Jean-Marie Traore, is set to visit Moscow from February 12 to 13 to sign key agreements aimed at strengthening bilateral relations with Russia, according to the Russian Embassy in Ouagadougou.

The visit will include the signing of an agreement outlining the foundations of bilateral relations between Burkina Faso and Russia, as well as the establishment of a new intergovernmental commission to oversee cooperation in various sectors.

“This will involve the signing of an agreement on the foundations of relations between Russia and Burkina Faso, as well as an agreement on the creation of an intergovernmental commission,” the embassy confirmed to RIA Novosti.

During his stay in Moscow, Traore is also expected to hold high-level meetings with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and representatives of the Russian Ministry of Economic Development, the embassy added.

The visit marks a significant step in expanding Russia’s diplomatic and economic engagement with Africa, particularly in the Sahel region across Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. Russia has deployed over 1,000 contractors to Mali and maintains smaller forces in Burkina Faso and Niger.

US re-engages Sahel states as Russia preference takes over

The Sahel trio, over the past few years, expelled French forces and embraced Russian cooperation, aiming to achieve independence and sovereignty far from exploitative Western interference. 

The United States allegedly was unfazed by the increased Russian presence in the Sahel, host to the region’s vast mineral wealth, particularly Mali’s lithium, Niger’s uranium, and Burkina Faso’s gold. Niger’s junta recently seized control of its main uranium mine from French company Orano and is reportedly courting Russia as a new partner.

However, a recent report by the BBC indicated that the US has made a sharp turn in its West Africa policy, opting to re-engage with the military governments of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. Re-engaging Sahel states primarily gives the US access to strategic minerals vital to energy security, defense, and the green transition.

As minerals replace oil as the core geopolitical asset, Washington is seeking to secure future supply chains amid growing competition with China and Russia, both of which have expanded their footprint in Sahel mining through security-for-resources deals.

Coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and especially Niger exposed how quickly Western access to critical resources can unravel. Re-engagement reflects a shift away from counterterrorism toward resource and economic diplomacy, even if it means softening positions on military rule.

Ultimately, this is about stabilizing extraction rather than transforming governance, managing instability to keep minerals flowing, not addressing the structural causes of Sahelian crises.