Burkina Faso’s military regime severed diplomatic ties with France, accusing Paris of continuing to act against its interests.
Relations between Burkina Faso and its former colonial ruler have worsened since Colonel Ibrahim Traoré seized power in a coup in 2022 and pursued a largely anti-Western policy.
Communications Minister Gilbert Ouedraogo said in a televised statement Friday that he accused France of “relentless activism” against his country and of having “neo-colonial ambitions.”
France’s Foreign Ministry called the decision “hostile and unfounded” and “demonstrates the troubling drift of the Burkinabe government.”
France also urged its citizens to “exercise strong vigilance.”
Burkina Faso, like its neighbor Mali, has been fighting an Islamist insurgency for more than a decade, often alongside French troops deployed in the region.
Soon after taking power, Captain Traoré expelled the French. His government accused France of having a “secret agenda” and turned to China and Russia.
A recent Burkinabean statement said conditions of mutual respect no longer exist between the two countries. It alleges French support for subversive networks and an intention to marginalize Burkina Faso on the international stage.
The statement added that the decision to sever “only concerns the institutional framework of relations” but “does not raise any questions about the historical, human, cultural and social ties that unite the Burkinabé and the French people.”
The military promised to restore democracy in 2024, but broke this promise and officially disbanded the political party in January this year.
In January 2025, Burkina Faso, along with its two military-led neighbors, Mali and Niger, officially withdrew from the West African region of Ecowas, forming a new group called the Alliance of Sahel States.
France will have no ambassador to Burkina Faso from January 2023.
In 2024, three French diplomats were expelled for “subversive activities.” France has denied these claims.
