Burkina Faso: France withdraws its special forces within “a month”

Soukaina Sghir
Soukaina Sghir
2 Min Read
burkina faso sol

The departure of France to Burkina Faso is becoming clearer. The Quai d’Orsay assured this Wednesday that the tricolor troops will leave Burkinabe soil within “a month”. An orderly withdrawal after the denunciation by the ruling junta of the defense agreements binding the two countries.

“Not the end of diplomatic relations between Burkina Faso and France”

Burkina currently hosts a contingent of nearly 400 French special forces, the Saber force. These troops will have left the country “by the end of February” and the withdrawal of all equipment should be completed.

“It’s not about the end of diplomatic relations between Burkina Faso and France”. Burkinabe government spokesman Jean-Emmanuel Ouédraogo said Monday midday in an interview on Radio-Télévision du Burkina ( RTB).

This withdrawal, however, illustrates the separation between the two countries, which has been brewing for several months. In December, Ouagadougou notably asked Paris to replace the French ambassador, Luc Hallade, in their crosshairs for having reported the deterioration of the security situation in the country.

Monday, Jean-Emmanuel Ouédraogo indicated that the government had “received all the assurances that the French authorities will accede to this request this week”. But according to a diplomatic source, his fate is not yet sealed and he is still in the Burkinabè capital.

Maryam Lahbal

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