https://mg.co.za/article/2019-06-04-00-i-question-frances-motives...

https://mg.co.za/article/2019-06-04...s-motives-says-burkina-fasos-defence-minister

Here's an interesting insight into the mind of Moumina Cheriff Sy, the current Faso Defence Minister. The guy is either incredibly 'woke' or a tin-foil hatter, depending on your perspective.

Interestingly, he says the recent surge of violence in BF and surrounding areas isn't driven by religious motivations at all. He claims the Sahel region has become a giant trafficking zone. Algerian generals and LatAm narcos are using the Benin-BF-Mali corridor to move narcotics and illegal contraband into Europe.

The guy believes regional security arrangements established by effected countries (i.e. so-called 'G5 Sahel', comprised of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger) are making zero impact on the problem. He complains that none of the military support and equipment promised by Europe has been forthcoming.

Here's the kicker though. At the end of the article he seem to suggest France has a vested interest in preserving the current instability. While he doesn't go so far as to suggest certain interests in France are profiting from narco trafficking in the Sahel, its borderline implied. Here's a direct quote:

“They’ve (France) got maybe 4 000 men in the region, they have all the military and technological resources, so I’m surprised they haven’t been able to eradicate this band of terrorists. We ask ourselves a lot questions: if they really wanted to, they could have beaten them, so do they have another agenda?”



@eshmun