On April 18, 2024, Minister of Defence, Brigadier General Kassoum Coulibaly, presided over the handover of a substantial military equipment package to the Armed Forces Chief of General Staff. Security sources confirmed the details to APA.
The new arsenal features a variety of vehicles, including:
75 general purpose vehicles
7 armored personnel carrier (APC) ambulances
20 M53 vehicles (type unspecified)
20 Sadco vehicles (type unspecified)
20 tank vehicles (type unspecified)
4 Armored Car vehicles (type unspecified)
2 Armored Bus vehicles (type unspecified)
An unspecified number of APC Memsah vehicles (type unspecified)
According to Brigadier General Coulibaly, this acquisition was funded entirely by Burkina Faso with the support of Egyptian cooperation.
This development follows Captain Ibrahim Traore’s earlier pronouncements regarding securing advanced weaponry for the military. Notably, on April 8, 2024, he presented the Ministry of Defence with a dozen combat drones, primarily Bayraktar TB2s and Bayraktar Akincis manufactured by Baykar.
These acquisitions align with the implementation of the Strategic Equipment Plan designed to modernize Burkina Faso’s national armed forces.
Since 2015, the country has grappled with armed terrorist groups, a conflict that has tragically claimed thousands of lives and displaced millions. This ongoing insecurity is considered a key factor behind the two coups d’état that occurred in 2022.
DS/ac/fss/abj/APA