The Burkinabè Prime Minister, Dr Apollinaire Kyélem de Tambèla, criticized Germany on Friday for its refusal to participate in the training of Burkinabè soldiers in the fight against terrorism. He also denounced France’s support for terrorists.
‘When we came to power, we requested weapons from our traditional partners, but they refused to accompany us. Germany refused to support us with military training. France has placed a blockade on the purchase of our weapons,’ said Joachimson Kyélem from Tambèla.
The Burkinabè Prime Minister spoke on Friday during an audience with the new ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Burkina Faso, Dietrich Becker.
According to Dr Kyélem, the Russians, the Chinese and the Turks, far from adopting the policy of Western countries, have agreed to help the Burkinabè authorities by selling weapons and sending military instructors to the field.
‘When we buy weapons with Russia, we necessarily need Russian instructors to teach us how to use them, hence the reason for the
ir presence. It’s not just the Russians, there are also the Chinese, the Turks, etc. They work in specific areas,’ added the Burkinabè Prime Minister, according to whom moments of difficulty allow us to identify our sincere friends.
The Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Burkina Faso, Dietrich Becker, expressed concern about the use of Russian weapons by terrorists.
On the issue, the head of the Burkinabe government pointed the finger at France, which, according to him, does not play fair with its partners.
‘The French, through intermediaries, can buy Russian weapons and resell them to terrorists to divert attention. France delivers weapons that it does not manufacture to make people believe that it is not involved. We took time to see France’s direct role in this crisis,’ he insisted.
Explaining Germany’s reluctance to sell weapons to Burkina Faso, Ambassador Dietrich Becker said that after World War II his country decided to no longer send soldiers to theaters of operations except in the N
ATO framework.
‘It is difficult for us to send the German army to Africa or to sell weapons. German public opinion would not understand this. It is not up to us to wage war in Africa,’ he explained.
Burkina Faso has been cooperating with Germany since 1961 on priority and strategic sectors for the country’s development. This cooperation focuses on several areas including the transformation of agri-food systems, the water and sanitation sector, and social cohesion.
Source: Burkina Information Agency