Russia is withdrawing 100 of its paramilitary officers from Burkina Faso to support the war in Ukraine.
They are part of about 300 soldiers from the Bear Brigade – a Russian private military company – who arrived in the West African country in May to support the country’s military government.
On its Telegram channel, the group said its forces would return home to support Russia’s defense against Ukraine’s recent offensive in the Kursk region.
There are fears the withdrawal could embolden Islamist militants in Burkina Faso, who recently killed 300 people in one of the biggest attacks in years.
Since 2015, Burkina Faso has suffered regular jihadist attacks, with more than two million people displaced in what aid groups have called a “worldmost overlooked” crisis.
The military junta under interim President Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who took power in a coup in September 2022, has promised to end the attacks but has struggled, even after seeking a new security partnership with Russia.
With nearly half the country outside government control, jihadist groups are increasingly targeting civilians and military units.
Survivors said up to 300 people were killed on Saturday in the northern town of Barsalogho, in an attack claimed by an al-Qaeda-linked militant group, Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).
They are believed to be civilians helping dig trenches to protect the town from attacks by jihadist rebels.
Authorities did not say how many people were killed, but Communications Minister Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouedraogo called the attack “barbaric”.
The Bear Brigade is said to be tasked with protecting senior Burkina Faso officials, including Captain Traoré, whose leadership has come under threat before.
They arrived the same month as gunfire erupted in the Burkina Faso capital near the presidential palace, fueling speculation of growing opposition to the junta leader, who claims to have foiled a coup attempt last year.
Videos circulating on social media and confirmed by the group show the Burkina Faso military leader being protected by men wearing military uniforms emblazoned with the Russian flag.
The group said it was protecting the Russian ambassador in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso.
About 100 members of the specialized unit are preparing to leave the West African country, just three months after arriving.
Their sudden departure is related to recent Ukraine’s attack on Russia’s Kursk region.
“When the enemy comes to our Russian territory, all Russian soldiers should forget about internal problems and unite against the common enemy,” said Bears Brigade commander Viktor Yermolaev. told the French newspaper Le Monde (in French).
On Tuesday, the group posted on its Telegram channel that the unit was returning to its base in Russian-occupied Crimea “in connection with recent events.”
It is unclear how the Burkina Faso military government plans to compensate for the loss of military support following the partial withdrawal of the Bear Brigade.
Burkina Faso, like its neighbors Mali and Niger, is battling a number of Islamist groups operating in the semi-arid Sahel region, south of the Sahara desert.
The military seized power in all three countries and formed the Sahel Nations Union.
They severed ties with former colonial power France and instead befriended Russia, buying weapons and deploying fighters to the Wagner Mercenary Group, now known as the Afrika Korps.
However, armed groups have stepped up attacks, particularly in Burkina Faso, despite massive recruitment by the Volunteers for the Defence of the Fatherland militia.
