On the initiative of the ECR Group, the European Parliament has called on the Commission to do more to ensure stability in Burkina Faso, which is in danger of disintegrating following a coup d'état on 30 September.

To achieve this, the EU and its Member States should work with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union and the transitional authorities in the country in order to reconcile the parties involved in the conflict and return constitutional order and a civilian government. Intending to prevent poverty and to push back the influence of jihadists in the region, the resolution calls for security cooperation, development, education and climate change adaptation. In the previous debate, ECR MEP Assita Kanko who is of Burkinabe origin said: “The secular country I knew no longer exists, because it has been destroyed by Islamists and is now adrift. Without leadership, it will not be possible to revive the economy, offer prospects to the youth and stop the jihadists taking over another piece of the Sahel every day.”

Another worrying element for the ECR Group is that the coup coincides with Russian efforts to expand its influence in the Sahel. Speaking after the vote, Kanko warned that “the conflict in Burkina Faso is not local, but has geopolitical implications that should not be underestimated. Russia could try to use its African position to instrumentalise the conflict and use migration as part of its hybrid strategy against Europe. Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Russian Wagner Group, which is already active in neighbouring Mali, has welcomed the coup. Russian disinformation deliberately stokes anti-French sentiment in Burkina Faso.”