Burkina Faso: « We don’t need any soldier from abroad to handle this fight», said the Burkinabe Minister of Defense
The Burkinabe Minister of Defense, Colonel-Major Kassoum Coulibaly, has denounced an «international coalition» against Burkina Faso, stating that the country has even experienced «violations of its airspace».
Mr. Coulibaly made these statements during an information meeting with Burkinabe civil society on actions taken in the fight against terrorism.
Without providing any details on the composition of this coalition, the Burkinabé minister denounced the double standard of certain parties in the fight against terrorism.
Regarding support from partners in the fight against terrorism, Coulibaly stated: « We have made requests, but what are they bringing us? We are currently acting on our own means. Few people intervene, even at the level of international organizations to which we belong, we tell them the same thing. It is not a matter of sitting down and saying that we do joint maneuvers together».
«The Burkina Faso government is only asking for support in the form of resources to fight terrorism. We do not need a single foreign soldier to carry out this fight. We will manage this issue on our own. Fortunately, the population has responded massively to the call of the head of state by registering as volunteers for the defense of the country (VDP). We requested 50,000 volunteers but we now have over 90,000», he added.
Since 2015, Burkina Faso has been facing recurrent terrorist attacks in several regions.
The Burkinabe government has decreed a «general mobilization order and warning» to “provide a legal framework for all actions” taken by the state in the fight against terrorism.
The state of emergency is in effect in eight out of the thirteen regions of the country.
Yannick H.
