France pulls diplomats from African state – media
France has withdrawn its diplomats from Burkina Faso in response to the West African nation’s decision to break off relations with Paris, AFP reported on Monday, citing the French Foreign Ministry.
The Burkinabe transitional government notified France on June 26 that it was severing diplomatic relations with immediate effect, accusing Paris of having “neo-colonial ambitions” and supporting “subversive networks and terrorists.” France rejected the move as “hostile and baseless” and said it was considering reciprocal measures.
On Monday, the French Foreign Ministry told AFP that all French diplomats in Burkina Faso returned to France late last week. The ministry also said Burkina Faso’s chargé d’affaires in Paris was summoned last Monday and “was informed, in a spirit of reciprocity, that Burkinabe diplomatic staff should also leave France within seven days.”
Diplomatic relations between Burkina Faso and France have steadily deteriorated since interim President Captain Ibrahim Traore took power in a military coup in 2022. The new authorities in Ouagadougou ended military cooperation with Paris, forcing French troops to leave the country the following year.
The Sahel nation expelled French Ambassador Luc Hallade in 2023 and ordered France’s defense attaché, Emmanuel Pasquier, and his team to leave over allegations that they were engaged in subversive activities. In 2024, the Burkinabe government also declared three French diplomats persona non grata, giving them 48 hours to leave Ouagadougou.
Paris has lost its foothold in several former colonies amid a wave of anti-French sentiment fueled by allegations of military failures. Burkina Faso’s neighbors, Mali and Niger, have also cut security cooperation with France, which said it does not recognize the military authorities in the three Sahel states as legitimate governments.
Since 2020, a wave of military coups has reshaped politics across the Sahel region in Africa, toppling civilian governments in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.
France, once the region’s dominant external power, has steadily lost influence amid rising anti-French sentiment and deep frustration over insecurity, economic stagnation, and foreign interference. The former colonial power was forced to withdraw troops from Mali in 2022, Burkina Faso in 2023, Niger later that year, and Chad in early 2025.
About 4,500 soldiers had been deployed under Operation Barkhane, France’s largest overseas mission, across Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad – a campaign that the military governments in Bamako, Niamey, and Ouagadougou have said only permitted Islamist insurgents to expand their activities.
The three West African states have established the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) and withdrawn from the International Organization of Francophone Nations (OIF) operating in Francophone countries, many of them former French colonies. The AES has forged new alliances, including with Russia, which its leaders hail as a more reliable economic and security partner.
The three Sahel states have repeatedly accused Paris of acts of aggression, including allegations of backing or sponsoring jihadist groups behind the region’s deadly insurgency. France has denied the claims, with a Foreign Ministry spokesperson previously dismissing them as “fanciful.”
