Burkina Faso begins flying Turkish-made armed drones

Turkish Bayraktar TB2 combat drones, Baykar's flagship model, on December 16, 2019 (illustration image) © Birol BEBEK / AFP

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Burkina Faso is starting to fly Bayraktar TB2, Turkish-made armed drones, ordered a little over a year ago.

Burkina is the third country in the sub-region to equip itself with these drones, after Togo and Niger.

He thus hopes to increase his capacities in the fight against terrorism.

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According to a security source, two drones have started their rotation in western Burkina Faso.

More are expected in the coming months.

According to several analysts, they take off from an air base, built from January in Bobo-Dioulasso.

The Burkinabè staff did not wish to comment on this information, but other security sources in the region confirm the training at this very moment, in Turkey, of Burkinabè in the fields of piloting and maintenance. 

With these drones, Ouagadougou increases its intelligence and intervention capabilities.

The country is also becoming independent from French hunting, whose support has sometimes been necessary during anti-terrorist operations.

However, some observers are concerned about the use that will be made of these drones.

“

 ,” explains one of them.

In Togo, in July, an airstrike caused the death of several children.

The Ministry of Defense admitted

.

Civil society organizations have called for an investigation.

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• Burkina Faso

• Defense