Africa

Burkina Faso demands departure of French troops

Burkina Faso’s military govern­ment has ordered French troops sta­tioned in the West African country to leave within a month.

The decision, announced by the official Agence d’Information du Burkina (AIB) on Saturday, is the latest sign of deteriorating relations between France and its former colony since a second military coup in September of last year.

The AIB said the military gov­ernment on Wednesday suspend­ed a 2018 military accord that allowed the presence of French troops in the country.

There was no immediate com­ment from Paris.

A source close to the Burki­nabe military told the AFP news agency that Ouagadougou was not severing relations with France and that the “notification only concerns military cooperation agreements”.

France has some 400 special forces soldiers stationed in Burki­na Faso, which is battling groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS).

The West African nation is one of the world’s poorest countries and the conflict there, which had spread across the Sahel from Mali over the past decade, has killed thousands of civilians.

In recent months, anti-French sentiment has spiked in the country amid perceptions that France’s military presence has not improved the security situation.

“Despite their presence on Burkinabe soil with huge equip­ment and their power at the intel­ligence level, they couldn’t help us defeat terrorism,” said Passamde Sawadogo, a prominent civil soci­ety activist and reggae singer.

“It therefore was time for us to get rid of them, and that’s what the transition government is doing with a lot of boldness,” he was quoted as saying by The Associated Press news agency.

Hundreds of Burkinabes also demonstrated against France on Friday, rallying in the capital, Ouagadougou, demanding the ex­pulsion of the French envoy and the closure of its military base in Burkina Faso.

They carried huge posters showing the leaders of Mali and Guinea — both of whom also came to power in coups — as well as Russian President Vladi­mir Putin. -News Agencies

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