French Foreign Ministry: "Local Military Regime Demands French Troop Withdrawal"
"Burkina Faso Turns Pro-Russian, Analysis Shows"
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Junran] The French military has decided to withdraw from Burkina Faso in West Africa. This appears to be due to increasing voices within Burkina Faso protesting the French military presence as Russia has been conducting close diplomatic activities in Africa.
AP and AFP reported on the 25th (local time) that the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced it would withdraw its troops stationed in Burkina Faso within one month at the request of the Burkina Faso military regime.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "We received official notification from the Burkina Faso government yesterday that they have decided to terminate the 2018 agreement that formed the basis for the French military presence," adding, "The termination of the agreement will take effect one month after the written notice is received."
Accordingly, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that its troops will leave Burkina Faso by the end of February, and some forces will be redeployed to Niger, a neighboring country of Burkina Faso.
France has maintained agreements with its former colonies such as Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritania, and Niger to station its troops. Currently, about 3,000 French troops remain in the region. Among these forces, 300 to 400 special forces personnel are stationed in Burkina Faso to respond to Islamic extremist groups in the Sahel region of West Africa.
However, in recent times, anti-French sentiment has grown in Burkina Faso since military leader Ibrahim Traor? came to power through a coup in September last year, and calls for the withdrawal of French troops have spread. Traor? is known to have ties with Russia.
Some analysts suggest that Burkina Faso is following the path of Mali, which severed ties with France as it grew closer to Russia. Previously, in Mali, the military seized power through two coups in 2020 and 2021, during which there were allegations of cooperation with Russia. Consequently, French troops withdrew from Mali in August last year.
Meanwhile, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs also announced that on the 26th, the day after announcing the withdrawal plan, it will recall its ambassador stationed in Burkina Faso to France. Discussions regarding the current situation in Burkina Faso are expected to take place.
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