France recalls ambassador and will withdraw military forces from Burkina Faso

France will withdraw its military
forces from Burkina Faso within a month, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs
told CNN on Wednesday.

Following a formal request
from the Burkina Faso government to do so, the French military mission will end
a month after receipt of that written demand, the ministry said.

Since 2018, the French and
Burkina Faso governments have had an agreement allowing the presence of French
troops on Burkinabe soil.

French troops have been
deployed in West Africa since 2013 to fight jihadist groups in the Sahel.

This withdrawal is the latest
step back for France’s military footprint in the Sahel region, after the 2022
withdrawal of French forces from Mali following a military coup in the country
and the eventual breakdown in relations with the Malian government.

The French Armed Forces
declined to comment on the composition of the mission in Burkina Faso, adding
that it also did not have a comment on how the withdrawal will affect French operations
in the Sahel region.

The French foreign ministry
said on Thursday it was recalling its ambassador to Burkina Faso, citing “the
context of recent developments”, a day after Paris announced it would withdraw
its troops from 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 in a statement.

Protests by opponents of the
French military presence have surged in Burkina, partly linked to perceptions
that France has not done enough to tackle an Islamist insurgency that has
spread in recent years from neighboring Mali.