Egypt Pledges Counterterrorism Support to Burkina Faso in Cairo Talks

Ministers meet in Cairo

Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty pledged counterterrorism support and capacity-building for Burkinabe personnel during talks with his Burkina Faso counterpart, Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré, in Cairo on Tuesday 1 September 2026, according to Ahram Online, which cited Egypt's foreign ministry. The meeting addressed bilateral relations and coordination on regional security, alongside an Egyptian-Burkinabe Business Forum aimed at advancing trade and investment.

Abdelatty emphasised the importance of strengthening bilateral momentum and elevated cooperation across multiple sectors, Ahram Online reported, highlighting desired collaboration in trade, economic and investment cooperation, particularly in energy, infrastructure, health and pharmaceuticals. He also called for the business forum to produce tangible outcomes that would boost trade and investment exchange between the two countries.

Abdelatty has led Egypt's foreign ministry since July 2024, when he succeeded Sameh Shoukry in a cabinet reshuffle, according to Ahram Online.

The meeting built on a political consultation mechanism the two countries established in July 2025. Ahram Online reported that Abdelatty and Traoré had last spoken by phone on 8 January, when Abdelatty reaffirmed Egypt's support for Burkina Faso's security and development efforts shortly after Ouagadougou assumed the presidency of the Alliance of Sahel States.

Burkina Faso currently chairs the Alliance of Sahel States, which Ahram Online described as a bloc grappling with a worsening security crisis. According to Daily News Egypt, Egypt has offered comprehensive counterterrorism support to Burkina Faso to help combat insurgency across West Africa and the Sahel. Ahram Online reported that Abdelatty reaffirmed Egypt's support for counter-terrorism efforts across the region, describing an approach that combines security measures with development programmes to confront extremism.

Security cooperation and capacity-building

Abdelatty highlighted the role of the Aswan Initiative for Peace and Development in the Sahel and called for deeper coordination with Sahel states during Burkina Faso's presidency of the bloc, according to Daily News Egypt. Ahram Online reported that he also stressed the value of deepening military partnerships and capacity-building initiatives led by Egyptian institutions and Al-Azhar for Burkinabe personnel.

Traoré also praised the growing momentum in the two countries' relations, voicing pride in the level of cooperation and coordination between them, according to Ahram Online. He stressed the importance of continuing high-level visits between Cairo and Ouagadougou.

Traoré welcomed the offer, praising joint cooperation in counter-terrorism, security and military training, and the capacity-building programmes already provided by Egyptian national institutions and Al-Azhar. He said Burkina Faso wanted to expand these frameworks and use Egyptian institutional expertise to reinforce its own institutions, Daily News Egypt reported.

A business forum and a dozen priority sectors

The Egyptian-Burkinabe Business Forum, which accompanied the visit, was attended by senior officials and commercial representatives, including Sherif El-Gabaly of the Egyptian parliament's African Affairs Committee, representing the Federation of Egyptian Industries, and Ali Ghamrawy, head of the Egyptian Drug Authority, according to Daily News Egypt. The forum aimed to translate political relations into commercial investments, infrastructure projects and job creation, building on the political consultation agreement signed in July 2025 and a previous business gathering in Ouagadougou.

Abdelatty highlighted Egyptian corporate expertise in sectors prioritised by Burkina Faso:

• Infrastructure and construction
• Building materials
• Food processing
• Pharmaceuticals and medical supplies
• Chemicals and fertilisers
• Agricultural machinery
• Energy and mining

Abdelatty said the launch of a direct flight route between the two countries, and direct communication between their chambers of commerce, would help drive sustainable economic cooperation led by the private sector, Daily News Egypt reported. Egypt's investments across Africa now exceed $12bn, with bilateral trade between Egypt and the continent surpassing $10bn, according to figures Abdelatty cited last month while urging the creation of a unified investment entity to streamline Egyptian outbound investment, Ahram Online reported. Neither outlet reported a trade or investment figure specific to Burkina Faso; both numbers describe Egypt's economic relationship with the continent as a whole.

Traoré said Burkina Faso was committed to offering a favourable investment climate for the Egyptian private sector, aiming to establish practical, long-term business partnerships and increase bilateral trade.

Two forums this autumn

To strengthen broader economic ties, Abdelatty invited Burkinabe companies to the Alamein-Africa Forum, scheduled for 2 to 4 October in El Alamein. Daily News Egypt reported that the event was established following an African Union summit decision to host biennial intra-African trade gatherings.

Abdelatty also invited Traoré to the sixth edition of the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development, due to take place in Aswan in November.

Both invitations followed the same pattern: folding a security-focused relationship into a calendar of recurring Egyptian-hosted trade and diplomacy events.

Egypt's Sahel diplomacy

The Cairo talks come as Egypt seeks a larger security and development role across the Sahel, where Burkina Faso currently chairs the regional bloc. Cairo has increasingly used the Aswan and Alamein forums as recurring venues to fold counterterrorism pledges into trade and investment commitments with African governments, rather than treating security assistance and commercial diplomacy as separate tracks.

The talks precede the Alamein-Africa Forum in October and the Aswan Forum in November, giving Egypt two consecutive platforms this autumn to build on the commitments made in Cairo this week. Between the Cairo meeting, the Alamein-Africa Forum and the Aswan Forum, Egypt has now scheduled three Africa-focused gatherings within roughly two months. Together, the pledge of counterterrorism assistance and the invitations to two upcoming forums summed up Cairo's approach: pairing a security commitment with an economic one inside the same round of talks.