Burkina Faso's mines minister on Tuesday denied an allegation by the president of Ghana that Burkina Faso had paid Russian mercenaries by giving them the rights to a mine.
Ghanaian president Nana Akufo-Addo caused a controversy by stating last week that Burkina Faso had hired mercenaries from Russia's Wagner group to help it fight Islamist militants.
"I believe a mine in southern Burkina has been allocated to them as a form of payment for their services," Akufo-Addo said, speaking to reporters alongside U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.