China Rearms Burkina Faso with New Armour and Artillery: President Traore Stresses Defence Modernisation

The Burkina Faso Army has received large quantities of Chinese armoured vehicles and artillery systems, including VN22B fire support vehicles, PLL-05 120mm self-propelled gun mortars, and SR5 rocket artillery systems. The equipment was photographed arriving at a port facility in the country. The deliveries follow statements by President Ibrahim Traore emphasising the need for modernisation of the country’s military capabilities. Traore previously stated that the Defence Ministry should consider making procurements from North Korea, as the Burkina Faso Army was equipped by the East Asian state in the 1980s. With the ongoing UN arms embargo on Pyongyang complicating major procurements, however, this may have been a factor leading the Defence Ministry to favour Chinese equipment. Chinese armour and armoured vehicles are also considered to often offer more modern and superior capabilities to their North Korean counterparts.

The Burkina Faso Armed Forces in September 2022 overthrew the country’s French-aligned government, and have since closely aligned their country with neighbouring Mali and Niger which similarly saw French-aligned governments overthrown. In late 2023 France and a number of Western aligned regional actors threatened to take military action against Niger, to which Burkina Faso and Mali responded by sending forces to help protect the country and deter possible attacks. Burkina Faso has been constrained in its military modernisation efforts by the small size of the country’s defence budget, which stands at around $550 million. The new equipment delivered, however, is expected to significantly enhance the capabilities of its ground forces, and allow them to better adapt to modern training and tactics.