PARIS, France
France’s foreign ministry said Wednesday that French troops deployed to fight extremists in Burkina Faso will withdraw within a month following a demand by the country’s military rulers — which came after a similar move from neighbouring Mali.
A top official at the foreign
ministry said France has formally received from Burkina Faso a decision to
terminate the 2018 agreement on the presence of French troops in the country.
“We will respect the terms of
this agreement” which provides that the decision takes effect a month after the
written notification, the official said, requesting anonymity in line with the
French government’s customary practices.
About 400 French special forces
members are based in Burkina Faso as part of a broader military deployment
aimed at fighting extremists in Africa’s Sahel region.
Anti-French sentiment has
grown in Burkina Faso, a former French colony, since junta leader Ibrahim
Traore seized power in September. Traore has been more overtly open to working
with other countries, notably Russia.
Protesters took to the streets
of the capital Ouagadougou this month to call for the ouster of the French
ambassador and the closure of a French military base north of the capital.
The move by Burkina Faso’s
regime comes five months after France completed its withdrawal from Mali after
nine years fighting Islamic extremists alongside regional troops. Many of those
are now based in Niger and Chad instead.
About 3,000 French soldiers
are deployed in the Sahel region.
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