Burkina Faso has severed diplomatic ties with France, accusing its former colonial power of persistent actions against its national interests. The West African nation's military junta, led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré, stated in a televised address Friday that France was engaged in "ceaseless activism" and harbored "neo-colonial ambitions."
The French foreign ministry responded by calling the decision "hostile and unfounded," characterizing it as illustrative of a "troubling drift by the Burkinabe government." Paris also advised French nationals in Burkina Faso to exercise heightened vigilance.
Relations between Burkina Faso and France have deteriorated significantly since Captain Traoré seized power in a coup in 2022. His government has pursued largely anti-Western policies, including the expulsion of French troops shortly after taking power. Burkina Faso, along with neighboring Mali, has been grappling with an Islamist insurgency for over a decade, a conflict that often involved French forces.
The Burkinabe statement further alleged that France has a "secret agenda" and supports "subversive networks," aiming to marginalize Burkina Faso internationally. The junta asserted that the conditions for mutual respect between the two countries no longer exist.
While the decision formally severs institutional relations, the statement emphasized that it does not affect the historical, human, cultural, and social ties between the Burkinabe and French peoples. France has not had an ambassador in Burkina Faso since January 2023.
In 2024, Burkina Faso expelled three French diplomats, accusing them of "subversive activities," a claim France denied. The junta, which had pledged to restore democracy in 2024 but reneged on this promise and dissolved political parties in January of this year, has increasingly pivoted its foreign policy towards China and Russia.
In January 2025, Burkina Faso, along with Mali and Niger, officially withdrew from the regional West African bloc, Ecowas, to form a new entity known as The Alliance of the Sahel States.