RABAT, August 16. /TASS/. Russia has the necessary resources to help such countries of the African Sahel region as Burkina Faso and Mali to address their shared security challenges, prominent Malian political scientist Boubou Doucoure told TASS in an interview.

"The top priority shared by all Sahel countries is the issue of security, the fight against terrorism. And in this context, Russia is a partner, cooperation with which is seen as positive from any perspective, including the timeline of deliveries, the quality of equipment and the training of specialists that’s carried out as part of Russia's partnership with Burkina Faso and Mali to strengthen the capacity of their armed forces," he said by phone.

"It must be admitted that Russia has the necessary resources - technical, economic and human - to help Burkina Faso and Mali meet their shared security, humanitarian and development challenges," he continued.

The analyst said that "Russia recently announced deliveries of several tens of thousands of tons of grain for African countries, including Burkina Faso and Mali."

"But we also expect that Russia and Sahel countries will work to create an extensive program of food self-sufficiency based on the activities of the agricultural industry. It is possible to create a large agricultural area in the Sahel region, but security remains a pressing issue. In this regard, we must clearly understand that only a comprehensive solution that includes all critical aspects - security, political stability, social and economic results - can enable the region to emerge from a multi-level crisis," Doucoure said.