AFP
NOS News•
The military regime in Burkina Faso wants French troops to leave the country within a month, reports state news agency AIB. At the beginning of this month, the French ambassador was already expelled.
“Last Wednesday, the Burkinabe government canceled the agreement that has regulated the presence of French armed forces on its territory since 2018,” AIB writes. There are now four hundred French troops in the country in West Africa to help in the fight against jihadists.
Relations between France and Burkina Faso have deteriorated in recent months. This is partly because in september a new military regime came to power through a coup. That was the second coup in eight months. The country is now ruled by the military led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré.
‘Confusing’
President Macron said yesterday he is waiting for “clarifications” from the Burkinabé leader. He calls Burkina Faso’s message “confusing”, because Captain Traoré is not in the capital.
Furthermore, Macron says it is important to be careful, as Russia may be interfering in the discussion. Strengthening ties with Moscow has been on the agenda in Burkina Faso since the last coup. Last Friday there was a large anti-French demonstration in the capital, where French flags were burned and Russian flags were waved.
Women and children liberated
Burkina Faso has been facing violence since 2015 from extremists linked to al-Qaeda and IS. Violence has spread from neighboring Mali. The jihadists are occupying territory in the north of the country.
In recent years, hundreds of residents of villages in the region have been killed and thousands of people have fled. This weekend were still 66 women and children freed who had been kidnapped by armed men, probably jihadists.
