The garden is turning green. Our agricultural project in Burkina Faso is once again changing the face of the desert. Onions, courgettes and carrots are emerging. Potatoes are also growing for the first time. The warehouse is tidy, compost is being produced, everyone on the starting blocks, ready to get harvesting. In a word, work is in full swing. It’s a pity that it’s not only in the shadow of the fruit trees, but also in the shadow of serious political earthquakes.

In the countryside, nobody thinks about politics. Here, people believe that only the land can feed them, not the decisions of politicians. Meanwhile, in the streets of Ouagadougou, the inhabitants manifest their joy at France’s decision to withdraw its troops. Instead, they welcome the Russians with open arms. They believe that by turning their backs on the former colonisers and deciding for themselves who they want to fraternise with, they will regain their sovereignty.

The French soldiers who have been trying for the last 12 years to resist the jihadists attacking from the north will therefore be replaced by mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner group. Nobody wants the French here. Nobody knows much about the Russians.

All indications are that the Russian flags flying at support rallies in Burkina Faso’s capital are a triumph of the superpower’s propaganda, which has swept social media, portraying the French as guilty of all the evils of this world. We are not optimistic about the methods of the Wagner group, who are plundering the natural wealth of African countries and getting rid of people who don’t like it.

We feed the hungry where one meal a day, for many, is a dream. By supporting our agricultural project, you allow them to work on the land that will give them bread. It is the only thing they can count on.