OUAGADOUGOU (AP) – Burkina Faso’s government late Saturday ordered hundreds of French troops to depart the West African country within a month, following in the path of neighboring Mali.
National broadcaster RTB made the announcement, citing the official Agence d’Information du Burkina. The news agency said the decision had been made Wednesday to end the presence of France’s military on Burkinabe soil.
Protesters took to the streets of the capital, Ouagadougou, last week to call for the ouster of the French ambassador and the closure of a French military base north of the capital. About 400 French special forces soldiers are currently based there, France 24 reported.
The move by Burkina Faso’s government comes five months after France completed its withdrawal from Mali after nine years alleged fighting extremists alongside regional troops. Many of those are now based in Niger and Chad instead.
The number of French troops in Burkina Faso is far smaller than it was in Mali — 400 special forces, compared to more than 2,400 soldiers. They are deployed under the pretext of fighting terrorist groups, which have killed thousands of people and displaced more than two million.
After the second coup there last year, anti-French protesters began urging the government to instead strengthen ties with Russia. Mali already has hired Russian forces from the Wagner Group.
Saturday’s announcement was welcomed by those who had lost patience with France.
“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.”