Reacting to Mohamed Bazoum’s criticism of his anti-terrorist strategy, Burkina Faso said on Saturday that the Nigerien president lacks vision, thinking that soldiers from the West will freely sacrifice to save his country.
“Entrusting this war to armies from distant lands is short-sighted in thinking that soldiers are going to leave the West and come to sacrifice themselves selflessly for the destiny of our countries. But obviously, the Nigerien president has made the option of entrusting his country and the destiny of his fight to foreign countries, ”said Burkinabè government spokesman Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo on Saturday.
The Minister reacted to the remarks of the President of Niger Mohamed Bazoum who told Jeune Afrique that the terrorists are more seasoned than the armies of the sub-region and that it was a tragic mistake for Burkina Faso to associate the VDPs (civilians) to struggle.
“Unlike the President of Niger, the entire dynamic of the Transition is based on our intimate and deep conviction that our valiant Defense and Security Forces, our valiant Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP), supported by the people of Burkina Faso in as a whole and under the leadership of His Excellency, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, will take up the challenge. We will reclaim our territory. We will bring peace by ourselves,” added Minister Ouédraogo.
Also, the Burkinabè authority finds it unfortunate that a head of state considers that the terrorist hordes are more seasoned than “our armies”.
“We have the deepest respect for the Nigerien army which is a valiant army, for the Nigerien people who are a valiant people. We are convinced here that this people, that this army, contrary to what the Nigerien president has said, is capable of taking up this historic challenge on its own. But as I had said, the whole problem: it is leadership”, argued Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo.
He also thinks that this interview, given the channel used, had no other purpose than to please the countries of origin of the contingents deployed in Niger.
On April 26, 2023, Burkina Faso had already reframed the Nigerien general, Mahamadou Tarka dit Abou, who denigrated the Burkinabè strategy in the fight against terrorism.
Source: Burkina Information Agency