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China arms Burkina Faso as Sahel turns away from Western security promises
As region’s security ties with US, France unravel, China steps in to fill the void and position itself for greater influence in the Sahel
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China is equipping Burkina Faso’s military and positioning itself for greater influence in the Sahel, filling a vacuum left by the collapse of security partnerships with Western nations, especially the United States and France.
The move is part of a broader modernisation plan that the Burkinabe government, headed by junta leader Ibrahim Traoré, announced in late 2023 amid growing insecurity waged by jihadist militants, mostly affiliated with al-Qaeda and Islamic State.
After a complex diplomatic history that saw relations first established in 1973 and then severed in 1994, China officially re-established diplomatic ties with Burkina Faso in 2018.
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While Ouagadougou had historically sourced some arms from China, the restoration of relations set the stage for large-scale military cooperation, which began in 2024 with the signing of a multiphase deal with the Chinese state-owned defence contractor, China North Industries Group Corporation or Norinco.
The country has received at least four major consignments from China since early 2024.
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The latest delivery, filmed at a port facility earlier this month, included VN22B fire support vehicles, PLL-05 120mm self-propelled gun-mortar systems and SR5 rocket launch systems, according to Military Africa, a news platform on African defence, security and military affairs.
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