Military-ruled Burkina Faso is suspending the deal with France and ordering the withdrawal of troops within a month, state media report.
Burkina Faso’s military government has ordered French troops stationed in the West African country to withdraw within a month.
The decision, announced by the official Agence d’Information du Burkina (AIB) on Saturday, is the latest sign of deteriorating relations between France and its former colony since a second military coup in September last year.
The AIB said the military government on Wednesday suspended a 2018 military deal that allowed French troops to be present in the country.
There was initially no comment from Paris.
A source close to the Burkinabe military told AFP that Ouagadougou is not cutting ties with France and that the “notification only concerns military cooperation agreements”.
France has deployed around 400 special forces soldiers in Burkina Faso fighting groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS).
The West African nation is one of the poorest countries in the world and its conflict, which has spilled from Mali to the Sahel over the past decade, has killed thousands of civilians. In recent months, anti-French sentiment has increased in the country as there is a perception that France’s military presence has not improved the security situation.
A woman holds her national flag and the Russian flag as people gather to show their support for Burkina Faso’s new military leader Ibrahim Traore and to mark the departure of the French ambassador at Place de la Nation in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso January 20, 2023 support financially [File: Vincent Bado/ Reuters]
“Despite their presence on Burkinabe soil with huge equipment and their intelligence-level power, they could not help us defeat terrorism,” said Passamde Sawadogo, a prominent civil society activist and reggae singer.
“Therefore, it was time for us to get rid of them, and the caretaker government is doing so with great audacity,” he was quoted as saying by The Associated Press.
Hundreds of Burkinabes also demonstrated against France on Friday, gathering in the capital Ouagadougou and demanding the expulsion of the French envoy and the closure of his military base in Burkina Faso.
They carried huge placards depicting the leaders of Mali and Guinea – both of whom also came to power in coups – and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Mohamed Sinon, one of the organizers of the demonstration, said the rally was called to show support for Burkinabe coup leader Captain Ibrahim Traore and security forces fighting al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS).
“We are a pan-African movement and we want cooperation between Burkina Faso and Russia, but also strengthening friendship and cooperation with Guinea and Mali,” he added.
Mali, also a former Paris colony, ordered French troops out of the country last year.
The last of the 2,400 French troops stationed there left the country in August after nine years of fighting against al-Qaeda and ISIL-affiliated groups.
Many of them are now based in Niger and Chad instead.
Mali has now hired Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group, accused of widespread human rights abuses there and elsewhere.
A banner of Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen in the capital of Burkina Faso during a demonstration to demand the withdrawal of the French ambassador and armed forces in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso January 20, 2023 [Olympia de Maismont/ AFP].