Burkina Faso: meeting of Colonel- Major Kassoum Coulibaly with CSOs and political parties

On Wednesday, May 3, 2023, in Ouagadougou, a delegation of government members led by the Minister of Defense and Veterans Affairs, Colonel-Major Kassoum Coulibaly, held consecutive meetings with civil society organizations (CSOs), labor unions, and political parties to share information on the national security situation.

Following the two presentations that were necessary for the sharing of information on the security situation with civil society organizations (CSOs), labor unions, and political parties, the Minister of Defense and Veterans Affairs, Colonel-Major Kassoum Coulibaly, who chaired the ministerial delegation, denounced the observer stance of the international community on the situation in Burkina Faso, among other issues.

He states, «We are acting on our own, few people are intervening… Burkina Faso only asks that we are sent resources so that we can fight this battle. We don’t need a foreign soldier; we will manage our own affairs ourselves. »

He then expressed his enthusiasm for the strong mobilization following the call by the head of state for the recruitment of Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP) and called for more sincerity and solidarity.

The Minister of Defense and Veterans Affairs stated, «Thank God, the population has massively responded to the call of the head of state for the recruitment of Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP). We asked for 50,000, we are at over 90,000… We need to be sincere and supportive. Our country is burning, let’s extinguish the fire… It will not serve anyone, only the foreigner will win… This is not a matter of individual, power, or struggle, it is a matter of Burkina Faso. »

«We currently have a lot of violations of our airspace, but we try to manage it bilaterally. We warn, we demonstrate, and thank God, they often apologize » the minister said, reassuring that no member of the Russian private security company is operating on Burkinabe soil.

He continued, « Rest assured, there are no Wagner members in Burkina Faso. We are using our own resources from contributions, taxes and levies».

According to the minister, even if Burkina acquires logistics to face the power of the enemy, it is always necessary to remain vigilant.

He also mentioned, “We will acquire some high-tech equipment, but be careful, it will be up to us to work with it. Everyone has a mouth, everyone has eyes, we have fingers, phones, please give accurate information at the right time.”

He warns of new threats due to a certain reversal of the situation on the battlefield. « Beware of suicide attacks! Beware of guided trucks! Beware of booby-trapped vehicles! Even an ambulance or a hearse, we try to be careful. Please understand the security forces who often search the streets, neighborhoods, it’s worth it. Burkina must stay, » he said.

H. Nelchael