Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna noted that Paris continues to support its Ambassador to Burkina Faso Luc Hallade.
Burkina Faso called on France to replace Hallade in December last year as relations between the EU member state and its former colony continue to deteriorate, according to Reuters reporting on Thursday.
Colonna noted that anti-French sentiment in Burkina Faso is growing and predicted that it is fuelled by Russian mercenaries in the country.
“I would like to express my support and our support for our ambassador and for all the embassy staff, who are doing a remarkable job in conditions which, as you know, are difficult,” she stated and reminded that Burkina Faso called on France to replace the ambassador.
Protests against French military presence in Burkina Faso are on the rise, with critics stressing that France has not been tackling the jihadist insurgency that has spilled over from neighbouring Mail in recent years.
French military presence
France has approximately 400 special forces troops in Burkina Faso and has withdrawn from Mali in 2022 after the junta reached an agreement with Russian Wagner Group to operate in the country.
“There was a coup [in Mali] and there is an organised and methodical anti-French discourse going on,” Colonna noted and added “potentially, yes, one can imagine a link in this anti-French campaign and Wagner.”
The French Ministry of Armed Forces stated that Paris has not decided whether to withdraw its troops from Burkina Faso and added that all options were on the table. The ministry pointed out that France will review its military operations in Africa later this year.
French diplomats reiterated that Burkina Faso has reached an agreement with the Wagner Group, reminding that neighbouring Ghana warned at the end of 2022 that Ouagadougou hired the paramilitary organisation.
According to a French diplomatic source, Paris is assessing Burkina Faso’s request and is not planning to replace Hallade.The Wagner Group responded to Western accusations, stressing that UN peacekeepers and Western intelligence agencies were committing crimes in Africa including the orchestration of coups and illegal mining, reminding that Western countries have accused the group of engaging in these crimes.
