Topic: 2024-Situation in Burkina Faso
Country: Russian Federation (UNSC)
Delegate Name: Mason Pressler
Situation in Burkina Faso-
Following the military coup of President Kaboré in January of 2022, subsequent installment of President Damiba, and Damiba’s own ouster in September of 2023, the situation in Burkina Faso has only intensified. Tensions between The Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration (PMSR), led by interim President Ibrahim Traoré, and Islamic Jihadist groups controlling nearly 40% of the nation’s territory continue to rise, and since the withdrawal of French imperial forces in early 2023, instability has only grown. The conflict has left over 2.1 million people displaced from their homes as of August 2023, most of those displaced being farmers who are now unable to work their land, halting crop production. The decrease in farming combined with the blockade on many urban centers by Islamist militias have left over 3 million people hungry and 650,000 people categorized as extremely hungry.
As a strong ally of Burkina Faso, the Russian Federation continues to support them through humanitarian efforts, supplying the nation with 25,000 tonnes of wheat late last year. This is the latest of several steps taken by Russia to aid civilians during the conflict in Burkina Faso. Russia plans on continuing and expanding these efforts in cooperation with local and international groups and organizations. This is a testament to Russia’s devotion to aiding developing nations across the globe, and our support for the decolonization of the global south.
Russia seeks to continue ramping up humanitarian aid in Burkina Faso while maintaining the nation’s sovereignty. The UN should greatly consider increasing aid through the World Food Programme as well as encouraging support from non-governmental organizations such as the Red Cross and Oxfam. The Russian Federation is opposed to boots on the ground intervention from UN peacekeeping forces, as well as efforts by the west to restore imperial control to the region. Assistance from the west conditioned upon aligning with their suffocating directives will only result in escalating the conflict further. The UN should continue humanitarian support in order to allow the Burkinabé government to stabilize on it’s own as elections are scheduled to be held in July of this year. We must ensure that humanitarian corridors are opened while self determination remains paramount.
