Burkina Faso will tightly control Russian presence

Significance

Meanwhile, junta leader Captain Ibrahim Traore’s increasingly evident desire to hang onto power indefinitely is having dire domestic repercussions, including a muzzled press, a weakened judiciary and detentions of outspoken critics.

Impacts

• Although popular with anti-Western activists, the arrival of uniformed Russians may further sap the morale of the Burkinabe military.
• With open dissent now more risky, the authorities may ultimately be blindsided if popular discontent worsens.
• Any effort to write a new constitution could encounter significant civil society opposition.