In an unprecedented leap, Burkina Faso, DPRK to revive diplomatic ties
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Burkina Faso authorities announce cooperation with Pyongyang in several fields, including mining, health, agriculture and research.
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A protester holds up a Burkina Faso flag at Place de la Nation in Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina Faso, November 2, 2014. (Reuters)
Burkina Faso's government announced on Sunday that it plans to revive its diplomatic relations with the DPRK, partly in a bid to bolster weapons trade between the two countries.
According to a press release issued by Ouagadougou’s presidential office, a ministerial council "approved an agreement for the appointment of an ambassador of the DPRK to Burkina Faso."
"This decision will allow the two countries to maintain exemplary bilateral cooperation in several areas" the release stated, noting that projects will be anticipated "in the "security sector […] through granting our country military equipment and materials."
In a separate statement issued by Foreign minister Olivia Rouamba, the official said that the DPRK will be represented by Chae Hui Chol in Burkina Faso. Chol will be acting from his residence in Dakar, Senegal.
On another note, Burkina Faso authorities also announced cooperation with Pyongyang in "mining, health, agriculture, and research."
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Relations between the two countries fell to an all-time low in 2017 when former President Roch March Christian Kabore announced compliance with a UN sanctions resolution to impose a complete ban on all imports from the DPRK.
In 2022, Kabore was overthrown due to his close ties to Burkina Faso's former colonizer, France.
Over the past year, the Asian-Pacific country has supplied many African nations with arms, ammunition, equipment, and other goods to support countries against chronic aggressions from terrorist forces and tribal clashes.
Burkina Faso has particularly suffered extensive damages as a result of terrorist insurgencies that spilled over from neighboring Mali in 2015.
Thousands have been killed, more than two million people have fled their homes, and around 40% of the country lies outside government control.
Several African states have maintained good relations with the DPRK - defying US, EU, and UN international sanctions.
Earlier in 2022, DPRK diplomats signed agreements for medical and economic cooperation with representatives of Gabon, Mali, Guinea, Nigeria, and Libya.
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