Russia is withdrawing 100 of its paramilitary troops from Burkina Faso to assist in the war with Ukraine, reports indicate. The troops are part of a contingent of some 300 fighters from the Medvedi or Bear Brigade—one of the Russian private military companies [12] operating in West Africa—who arrived in Burkina Faso in May to support the country's ruling military junta. In a statement, the group said its forces would return home to support Russia's defense of Kursk oblast [13] against Ukraine's recent cross-border offensive. There are fears the pull-out could embolden jihadist insurgents in Burkina Faso, who recently killed up to 300 people in one of the biggest attacks in years. (BBC News [15], Kyiv Post [16])
Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM [17]), an armed group linked to al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the Aug. 24 attack at Barsalogho, about 40 kilometers north of the strategic town of Kaya, home to the last standing force protecting the capital, Ouagadougou. Insurgents opened fire on teams of people digging trenches to protect security outposts. Several soldiers were missing after the attack, and the attackers took weapons and a military ambulance. (Al Jazeera [18])
Massacres by both the security forces [19] and insurgents [20] have been escalating [21] in Burkina Faso over the past year.
