France recalled its ambassador to Burkina Faso, Luc Hallade, saying that it intends to “conduct consultations” over Burkinian unrest, the French foreign ministry announced Thursday, a day after agreeing to withdraw French troops stationed in the country.
“In the context of the latest developments in Burkina Faso, we have decided to recall our ambassador to conduct consultations on the state and prospects for our bilateral cooperation,” the French foreign ministry told news agency AFP.
Why are the French troops leaving Burkina Faso?
The French withdrawal is in accordance with the 2018 military agreement signed by the two countries. On Monday, citing the 2018 agreement, Ouagadougou asked Paris to withdraw hundreds of special forces stationed with an aim to limit the expansion of terrorist groups in the Sahel region.
The Sahel region consists of the vast semi-arid and mostly inhospitable region of Africa, separating the Sahara Desert to the north and tropical savannas to the south. It includes parts of Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, South Sudan, Eritrea, and Ethiopia.
The demand “is not about ending diplomatic relations between Burkina Faso and France,” a government spokesperson said. “It is the Burkinabé themselves who will consent to the necessary sacrifices for the liberation of our territory.”
France formally accepted the demand on Wednesday, and said it would “abide by the terms of the agreement.”
Last year, Burkina Faso had asked Paris to replace its ambassador Luc Hallade, in office since 2019, claiming that Hallande could no longer be trusted.
(With inputs from agencies)
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