Burkina Faso’s government spokesperson Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouedraogo announced on Monday that the authorities want French troops to depart from the country within a month.
However, he clarified that the announcement did not mean the end of diplomatic relations with Paris.
End of Military Accord
The announcement came in pursuance of the Burkinabe government’s decision on Wednesday to end its 2018 military accord with France. The accord allowed French troops to help Burkina Faso fight armed terrorist groups across the country. Nevertheless, the national television station informed on Saturday that the government still required weapons from Paris.
Govt of Burkina Faso spox Jean-Emmanuel Ouedraogo confirms reports that authorities have told France to withdraw its troops from Burkina Faso: saying French forces are in Ouagadougou at the request of Burkina Faso- It is also up to the authorities, to request their departure pic.twitter.com/X8wVr3ciZj
— Samira Sawlani (@samirasawlani) January 23, 2023
Ouedraogo said that the decision to expel the French troops came as the country’s citizens and military wished “to be the prime actors in the recapture” of territories occupied by the armed groups.
Per the 2018 accord, France deployed over 400 special troops in the West African country to support the military government’s fight against terrorist organisations such as ISIS and Al Qaeda.
France’ Response
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday that he was yet to receive a confirmation and clarification about the implication of the announcements from Burkina Faso’s transitional President Ibrahim Traore.
However, Ouedraogo responded on Monday, “At the present stage, we do not see how we can be clearer than this.”
France will likely redirect its troops to Niger, Burkina Faso’s neighbour, to continue its support of the fight against violent extremism in the Sahel region. It already has deployed 2,000 soldiers in Niger, which has struggled with protests against French failures in the region.
Deteriorating Relations with France
Relations between France and Burkina Faso have soured over the past few months, with protestors highlighting that the European country’s troops have been ineffective in combatting the armed groups since they began their security operations in 2015.
Since the army’s takeover in September 2022, several protests have called for the French troops’ departure, including one in Ouagadougou on Friday.
Hundreds demonstrated against France in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou Friday in the latest expression of growing anti-French sentiment in the insurgent-hit West African country. (Reuters) pic.twitter.com/iicI1vUaxz
— Straight Talk Africa (@VOAStraightTalk) January 20, 2023
Similarly, souring relations with Mali resulted in the departure of French troops last year. In the past two years, Burkina Faso and Mali saw military coups take control by force.
Russia Likely to Replace France
Since Traore’s government took over Burkina Faso last September, it has been seeking to strengthen ties with Russia.
Last week, Burkinabe PM Apollinaire Kyelem de Tembela said that Russia “is a reasonable choice” as a partner. The statement came just weeks after Kyelem de Tembela visited Moscow.
Support for a Burkina Faso-Russia friendship is prevalent among protestors as well. Mohamed Sinon, a leader and organiser of the protests, said that the “pan-African movement” wanted Burkina Faso to strengthen ties with Russia and cooperate with Guinea and Mali.
In Burkina Faso, locals held mass rallies demanding French troops to leave and asking Russia to bring its troops in and help restore order pic.twitter.com/RotaElye3a
— Rev Laskaris (@REVMAXXING) June 21, 2022
Notably, the call to expel French troops came as the Burkinabe government hired Russian mercenaries to assist its fight against terrorist groups.
On a similar note, in December, Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo said that the West African country hired Russia’s Wagner Group.
Meanwhile, France has often warned of Russia’s “predatory” ambitions in Africa.
Security Situation in Burkina Faso
Since 2015, terrorist groups linked to Al Qaeda and ISIS have retained control over large parts of the territory in Burkina Faso. With tens of thousands killed and over two million displaced, the West African country is considered one of the poorest and most insecure nations worldwide.
The Chairperson of the Africa Union Commission @AUC_MoussaFaki strongly condemns the abduction of more than 50 women and girls in #BurkinaFaso : https://t.co/fphi1wAG31 pic.twitter.com/okP7aATHVn
— African Union (@_AfricanUnion) January 19, 2023
The political unrest caused by the two military coups in the past two years has further paved the way for the armed groups to expand their reach in the already war-torn country.
In fact, just this Friday, two attacks caused 18 deaths, including 16 volunteers assisting the military. Ten others were wounded in the attack, which security officials claimed was orchestrated by “jihadists.”