Major General Saddam Haftar, Chief of Staff of the Libyan Ground Forces under the Libyan National Army (LNA), arrived in Ouagadougou for an official visit to Burkina Faso on Tuesday. Haftar is visiting as a special envoy of his father, Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, Commander-in-Chief of the LNA.
Upon arrival, Saddam Haftar met with Burkina Faso’s transitional president, Ibrahim Traoré, at the presidential palace in the capital. This marks Saddam Haftar’s first official visit to Burkina Faso since his appointment as Chief of Staff of the Ground Forces in mid-May by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.
The visit follows the announcement of a confederation alliance by the military regimes of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. The leaders of these nations declared their alliance during their first summit in Niamey on Saturday, signifying a definitive break from the rest of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali formed the “Sahel States Alliance” on 16 September 2023 for mutual defence purposes. In March, Niger’s army chief, Moussa Salaou Barmou, stated that the three countries agreed to establish a joint force to address security threats within their territories.
The LNA leadership in Benghazi, along with Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, is strengthening ties with Russia. This growing relationship is causing concern among the United States and European countries, who view it as a threat to their strategic interests in the Mediterranean and Sahel regions.
In February, the Libyan Foreign Minister in the Parliament-designate government, Abdel-Hadi al-Hwaij, discussed with his counterparts of Niger Burkina Faso the latest political developments in the Sahel and Sahara countries.
Al-Hwaij congratulated the countries of Niger and Burkina Faso on lifting the blockade imposed by the ECOWAS countries on these two friendly countries.
The three parties discussed ways of cooperation and coordination in the political and economic fields and joint cooperation in all fields.
In December, Libyan Prime Minister of the Parliament-designate government, Osama Hammad discussed migration and border security issues with Niger’s Foreign Minister, Bakary Sangare, and the Special Envoy to the President of Niger.
The discussions primarily focused on shared concerns, and challenges between the two countries, with a particular emphasis on addressing migration-related issues and enhancing security along their common borders. The meeting took place in Benghazi, eastern Libya, and was attended by Libya’s Minister of African Affairs, Issa Abdel-Majeed.
