Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered what he called total support for Africa, including in the struggle against terrorism and extremism. Several African governments have cut ties with traditional Western allies and are looking to Moscow for help in tackling frequent attacks by jihadists. Burkina Faso's Foreign Minister Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré says Russia was a more suitable international partner than the former colonial power, France. He says that as well as military cooperation, Mali was exploring other joint projects in the energy, telecommunications, technology and mining sectors. He added that Russian companies are working in all these areas with the Malian government and [private] partners in Mali to provide solutions to the challenges facing the Malian people.