Burkina Faso President visits Brussels to strengthen cooperation

Burkina Faso President Roch Marc Christian Kabore started an official visit in Brussels on Tuesday and met with senior European Union officials.

The meeting is geared towards strengthening socio-economic partnership, security and health cooperation between Burkina Faso and the EU.

Kabore met European Council President Charles Michel and European Parliament President David Sassoli among others.

The West African country, which at first managed to avoid a catastrophic surge of the coronavirus, is now trying to cope with a much deadlier resurgence.

Burkina Faso is, along with Mali and Niger, one of the countries most affected by jihadism and violence in a conflict in the Sahel that has continued to spread since it began in 2012 in northern Mali.

His visit also intends to strengthen cooperation even as he begin his five year term as the president

After Belgium, the Burkinabe President will meet his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday at the Elysée Palace in Paris.