The military junta that rules Burkina Faso has expelled three French diplomats on suspicion of subversive activities, according to a government document posted on social media on Thursday.
The junta has appointed three diplomats, two of them political advisers, and declared them persona non grata in Burkina Faso, according to a document signed by the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday. They have 48 hours to leave Burkina Faso.
The document does not provide details about the alleged sabotage.
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France’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday that it regretted the decision to expel the diplomats and rejected the condemnation, saying their activities in Burkina Faso fell within the United Nations framework on diplomatic and consular relations.
“The decision of the Burkinabe authorities is not based on any legitimate basis,” the statement said. “I can only feel sorry for you.”
The Burkinabe flag is seen flying in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on November 27, 2017. (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images)
The expulsion came amid deteriorating relations between Burkina Faso and its former colonial ruler France. The junta severed military ties with France in 2023 and ordered hundreds of French troops to leave the West African country within a month, following the example of neighboring Mali, also led by a coup leader.
More than 60 years after Burkina Faso’s independence, French is still the country’s official language, and France maintains strong economic and humanitarian aid ties with the former colony. However, as the Islamic extremist insurgency intensifies, anti-French sentiment is on the rise, partly due to unrelenting violence.
After a second coup last year, anti-French demonstrators began calling for the military junta to strengthen ties with Russia instead.
Rida Lyamouli, a senior fellow at the Center for New Southern Policy, a Moroccan-based think tank, said the spread of anti-Western sentiment and growing ties with Russia and China are ongoing trends across Burkina Faso and neighboring Mali. Stated.
“This is a continuation of the measures adopted by Burkina Faso and Mali, including the expulsion of French diplomats and journalists and the suspension of some international media,” Lyamouli said.
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The junta has also distanced itself from regional and Western countries that do not agree with its approach. This year, it left the West African regional economic bloc known as ECOWAS and created an alliance with Mali and Niger, also led by military regimes.
