Burkina Faso has received a shipment of new military equipment from China, including armoured vehicles, self-propelled mortars, and various weapons and ammunition. The delivery is part of a strategic equipment plan that aims to strengthen the country’s security forces in their fight against jihadist insurgents.
The new equipment was unveiled on 12 January in a ceremony attended by President Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who seized power in a military coup on 24 January 2022. Traoré inspected six WMA301 fire-support vehicles, which are armed with 105 mm guns and made by Chinese company Norinco. He also examined eight CS/SM1 self-propelled mortars, which use a Dongfeng light tactical vehicle as a platform and have a caliber of 81 mm. These are the first of their kind to be seen in Africa.
In addition, Traoré was shown a series of shipping containers that contained a 60 mm WW90 mortar, mortar rounds, and rounds for RPG-7-type recoilless guns. According to Minister of Defence Brigadier General Kassoum Coulibaly, this was the first of five consignments that are expected to arrive over the coming months under the strategic equipment plan.
Traoré announced the plan in his televised speech on 31 December 2023, but did not provide any details, saying they would emerge over the coming year. He also said that a Special Rapid Intervention Brigade was being formed by bringing together the different rapid intervention battalions and a special forces group to help recapture territory from militants operating in Burkina Faso.
Burkina Faso is facing a worsening humanitarian and security crisis as jihadist armed groups have extended their control to around 40% of the national territory. The country’s junta-led government has pursued an aggressive military campaign against the insurgents. The acquisition of new military equipment from China, which is a major economic partner of Burkina Faso, may signal the junta’s intention to consolidate its power and resist external pressure for a return to constitutional order.
Last year, French soldiers who have been fighting Islamist militants in Burkina Faso were ordered to leave the country, dealing another blow to Europe’s presence in a region where Russia’s influence is growing. France has 400 special forces soldiers stationed in junta-ruled Burkina Faso to battle an Islamist insurgency, but relations have deteriorated in recent months
The failure to stop the jihadist violence and Russia’s growing foothold in the region propelled this decision. Burkina Faso is one of the world’s poorest, and has been battling a deadly jihadist insurgency since 2015 which has resulted in many killed, especially in the north and east of the country. The West African country has been rocked by two coups since the start of the year, with each new leader accusing the previous of having failed to quell the violence.
This past few years have seen the country acquire a plethora of armoured vehicles to stem the tide of the insurgency.
Last August, Burkina Faso army received a shipment of Emirati-made Isotrex Phantom mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles, according to images circulating on social media. The vehicles are believed to have been acquired from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a close ally of Burkina Faso.
June 2023, Burkina Faso signed a contract with Egypt’s Kader’s Factory for a number of FAHD Armored Personnel Carriers.
And in January 2023, Turkey delivered the first batch of four Nurol Makina Edjer 6×6 armoured fighting vehicle to the Burkina Faso Army, and subsequently in February 2023, the country acquired the Nurol Ejder Yalçın 4×4 armoured vehicle from Turkey.
