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A flag-lowering ceremony at the French special forces’ camp last week marked the end of French military operations in Burkina Faso. The ruling Burkinabe junta had conveyed on January 26, that it had directed the French army to leave the West African Country.
A flag-lowering ceremony at the French special forces’ camp last week marked the end of French military operations in Burkina Faso. The ruling Burkinabe junta had conveyed on January 26, that it had directed the French army to leave the West African Country.
Jean-Emmanuel Ouedraogo informed the government-controlled Radio-Television Burkina that the government has terminated the agreement which allows French military presence in Burkina Faso. He clarified that it does not indicate the end of diplomatic relations between Burkina Faso and France.
Frequent military insurgencies since 2015, have destabilised Burkina Faso, a former French colony, killing thousands and displacing around two million people. France had stationed 400 special forces soldiers in Burkina Faso to fight the insurgency. There has been growing resentment about the presence of the French army and the relations deteriorated in recent months. There have been allegations that the Junta hired mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner Group. French President Emmanuel Macron also decried Russia’s influence in the troubled west African countries.
Also Read;
https://trendsnafrica.com/france-recalls-ambassador-from-burkina-faso/
https://trendsnafrica.com/burkina-faso-orders-complete-pullout-of-french-troops/
To counter the concerns about the withdrawal of the French troops to fight the terror groups that are spread across the country, the junta has recruited 50,000 armed civilian auxiliaries to join the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP).
