France ‘decides’ to recall ambassador amid Burkina Faso dispute

The French Foreign Ministry has recalled its ambassador to Burkina Faso, a day after Paris announced it would withdraw its troops amid an escalation of tensions in the African country.

“We have decided to recall our ambassador in Paris, to conduct consultations on the state and perspectives of our bilateral cooperation,” the ministry said on Thursday.

Recently, protests by opponents of the French military presence in the country have surged. The growing opposition to French military present has been partly linked to perceptions that Paris has not been committed in its efforts to fight combatant outfits, resulting in a spread of militancy, particularly from neighboring Mali. In response to the protests, the ruling junta officially demanded the pullout of French troops.

France responded on Wednesday, saying that it would pull all its troops out of the impoverished country by next month. In a statement on Wednesday, France's Foreign Ministry said Paris would grant Ouagadougou's request.

"On Tuesday, January 24, we formally received the denunciation, by the Burkinabe government, of the 2018 agreement relating to the status of the French forces present in this country," it said. "In accordance with the terms of the agreement, the denunciation takes effect one month after receipt of the written notification. We will comply with the terms of this agreement by complying with this request."

France retains some 400 members of its special forces in Burkina Faso under the pretext of fighting terrorist groups, which have killed thousands of people and displaced more than two million. However, many believe the French military presence in Burkina Faso has not ameliorated the security of the country.

Earlier, Ouagadougou had declared that the African nation wants to defend itself. However, government spokesman Jean-Emmanuel Ouedraogo said on Monday the denunciation of the military agreement would not "the end of diplomatic relations between Burkina Faso and France."

Relations between Burkina Faso and its former colonizer France have been strained following two military coups last year, fueled in part by the authorities' failure to protect civilians from terrorist groups in the arid north.

Hundreds of protesters staged an anti-France demonstration in Ouagadougou on Friday, chanting anti-France slogans and wielding placards calling on the French army to leave the country.

Burkina Faso rally: Protesters tell French troops to 'get out'

Hundreds of people in Burkina Faso have demonstrated against France’s military presence in the country.

Protesters in Ouagadougou torched French flags or used them to collect garbage during the demonstration to show their stirring anti-France sentiments.

Burkina Faso, once a French colony, is currently ruled by the junta’s Captain Ibrahim Traore, which seized power last September, the second coup in eight months.

French troops were also forced to withdraw from neighboring Mali last year, after a 2020 coup in the former French colony.

Being one of the poorest countries in the world, Burkina Faso has been under the influence of terrorist groups linked to al-Qaeda and Daesh that have killed thousands of its citizens, creating one of the fastest-growing humanitarian crises in Africa.

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