Following Mali, Burkina Faso has also ordered hundreds of French troops to depart the West African country within a month as the government seeks to end the French military’s presence on Burkinabe soil.
The announcement was made on Wednesday, National broadcaster RTB reported on Saturday citing the official Agence d’Information du Burkina.
It comes amidst massive protests in the capital Ouagadougou last week, calling for the ouster of the French ambassador and the closure of a French military base north of the capital.
The decision was welcomed by the protesters on Saturday,
“Despite their presence on Burkinabe soil with huge equipment and their power at the intelligence level, they couldn’t help us defeat terrorism,” Passamde Sawadogo, a prominent civil society activist and reggae singer, told AP news agency.
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“It, therefore, was time for us to get rid of them, and that’s what the transition government is doing with a lot of boldness.”
According to France 24, around 400 French special forces soldiers are currently based in Burkina Faso. While in Mali, around 2,400 soldiers were present.
The move comes five months after France completed its withdrawal from Mali after nine years of fighting Islamic extremists alongside regional troops. Many of those have now been shifted to Niger and Chad instead.
The announcement has caused concern over Burkina Faso and Mali’s capability to counter Islamic extremists, who are said to be exploiting the political disarray to expand their reach.
Burkina Faso, a former colony of France which gained independence 60 years ago, has maintained strong economic and humanitarian aid ties with Paris.
As the Islamic extremist insurgency has deepened, however, anti-French sentiment has spiked due in part to the unabating violence.
(With inputs from agencies)
