France has recalled its ambassador to Burkina Faso, Luc Hallade, a day after it announced its consent to withdraw French troops stationed in the country.

The French foreign ministry disclosed that Luc Hallade was returning for consultations on the state of relations between Paris and its former West African colony.

“In the context of the latest developments in Burkina Faso, we have decided to recall our ambassador in Paris, to conduct consultations on the state and prospects for our bilateral cooperation.”
France Foreign Ministry

Burkina Faso’s junta had demanded the ambassador’s dismissal over his comments about the country’s deteriorating security situation.

Ambassador Hallade has been in place in Ouagadougou since the summer of 2019.

There have been weeks of demonstrations against the French presence in Burkina Faso, whose military rulers have been seeking military assistance from Russia to help defeat an Islamist insurgency.

Meanwhile, France has formally agreed to a request from Burkina Faso’s military leaders to withdraw all its troops from the country, saying that it would “abide by the terms of the agreement.”

On Monday, January 23, 2023, Burkina Faso asked France to withdraw hundreds of special forces troops stationed in the former French colony to curb the expansion of terrorist groups in the Sahel, and stated that the troops had a month to leave the country, in accordance with the military agreement signed by both countries in 2018.

Burkina Faso, which is currently battling an Islamist insurgency, insists that it wants to defend itself.

There are currently four hundred French special forces in Burkina Faso, who have just one month to leave.

Last year, French troops also left neighboring Mali, where they had spent eight years fighting jihadists.

France has kept close military links with many of its former colonies in West Africa and has been helping several of them fight jihadists who are active across the region under the now terminated Operation Barkhane.

About 3,000 French soldiers are still deployed in West Africa, mostly in Niger and Chad.

France’s continued ties, especially economic, have led to some resentment of its influence, which Russia has tapped into.

A French foreign ministry spokesperson confirmed that the Burkinabè government had sent a written request for its troops to leave.

“We will respect the terms of the agreement by honouring this request,” the spokesperson said.

The promised withdrawal of French troops from Burkina Faso depicts the latest decline of French military presence in Africa.

Jihadist Activity Persists In The Sahel Region

Jihadist activity persists in the Sahel region. Most recently, suspected jihadists kidnapped around sixty women who were foraging for food in the north of the country. The women have since been released.

Also, at the start of the month, bodies of twenty-eight people who had been shot dead were found in the north-western town of Nouna.

Since Captain Ibrahim Traoré seized power in Burkina Faso in September, 2022, there has been widespread speculation that he might start working with Russian mercenaries, which neighbouring Ghana described as “distressing”.

Both Mali and the Central African Republic are now working with the Russian mercenary group, Wagner.

Burkina Faso has denied reports that it will also engage the Wagner Group against the jihadists, however, a liaison team from the mercenaries has already visited, according to the AFP news agency.

Burkina Faso has been hit by a decade-long insurgency that has forced nearly two million people from their homes.

Captain Ibrahim Traoré has promised to win back territory from the jihadists, and to hold democratic elections in July 2024.

Burkina Faso is one of the poorest and most politically unstable countries in Africa.