The Burkina Faso Military Junta has confirmed that it has asked ex-colonial ruler France to pull its troops out of the country within a month, but the President of France Emmanuel Macron seems to be foot-dragging on the issue
France deploys about 400 special forces soldiers in Burkina, but relations have deteriorated and tensions have soared in recent months.
“We are terminating the agreement which allows French forces to be in Burkina Faso,” the government spokesman, Jean-Emmanuel Ouedraogo told Radio-Television du Burkina.
This is not the end of diplomatic relations between Burkina Faso and France,” he added.
“This termination is normal and is foreseen in the terms of the agreement,” the spokesman said.
The government and all the country wanted “to be the prime actors in the recapture of our territory”, he said, echoing coup leader Captain Ibrahim Traore’s rallying call to reclaim as top priority swaths of land occupied by jihadists.
Burkina Faso’s state news agency had earlier reported the Junta’s request that France withdraws its forces from the country’s territory.
In his response, French President Emmanuel Macron says Paris was awaiting clarifications from Ouagadougou over the pullout call.
The government spokesman replied and said: “At the present stage we don’t see how we can make it more clear.”
In 2018, Burkina Faso reached a military accord with France that allowed French troops to help fight insurgents in the country and at the moment France maintains 400 special forces based in the country deployed to help local forces battle insurgents linked to the al-Qaeda and Daesh/ISIS terrorist organizations.
Relations between France and Burkina Faso have been low since the September 2022 military coup. Several demonstrations have been reported against the French military presence in the country on perceptions that it has been ineffective against the terrorism that has been raging in the country since 2015.
Calls have been made for the departure of the French ambassador, as well as the French troops
France gets an ultimatum to leave Burkina Faso, as Macron foot drags