The Biden administration faces a dilemma in West Africa: Should the U.S. help a country run by a military junta with a troubling record on human rights or risk the country’s losing territory to Islamic extremists and partnering with Russian mercenaries?
DAKAR, Senegal —The Biden administration faces a dilemma in West Africa: Should the United States help a country run by a military junta with a troubling record on human rights or risk the country’s losing territory to Islamic extremists and partnering with Russian mercenaries?Senior officials at the State Department and Pentagon are supporting the provision of nonlethal security assistance to Burkina Faso’s military, arguing that the threat posed by a spiraling Islamist insurgency requires...
U.S. officials, concerned about Russian influence in the region, said that the Wagner Group has been courting junta members in Burkina Faso and that Moscow has provided equipment to the military. Already, Wagner is deeply entrenched in the Central African Republic and Mali and has been trying to sow instability in Chad, including by training rebels to overthrow its president.
Critics, including officials on Capitol Hill and researchers, say that providing military assistance will send the wrong message to a regime that lacks democratic legitimacy and has a troubling human rights record. By providing even nonlethal support to the Burkinabè military, the United States could encourage army excesses and thus further inflame the insurgency, the critics warn.Many in Burkina Faso are besieged by violence from one side or the other or both.
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