Burkina Faso has severed diplomatic relations with France, accusing its former colonial ruler of “neo-colonial ambitions” and of backing the armed groups behind years of jihadist violence.
The military junta announced the rupture in a statement read on state television, with immediate effect. France said it would weigh reciprocal measures.
In its declaration, the government accused France of “blatant neo-colonial ambitions and active support for subversive networks and terrorists”. The statement offered no evidence for the claim.
Communications Minister Pingdwende Gilbert Ouedraogo said the conditions for relations based on mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs were no longer met.
The junta insisted the decision concerned only diplomatic ties between the two states and did not call into question the historical and cultural links between their peoples.
France’s foreign ministry called the move a “hostile and unfounded decision” and confirmed that reciprocal measures were under review.
A ministry spokesman, Pascal Confavreux, said Paris remained attentive to the safety of its officials and citizens, urging them to exercise heightened vigilance.
Relations between France and Ouagadougou have deteriorated sharply since Captain Ibrahim Traoré seized power in a coup in September 2022.
Traoré removed the transitional leader, Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who had himself overthrown elected President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré eight months earlier.
Since taking control, the junta has expelled French troops, moved closer to Russia and built a security alliance with neighbouring Mali and Niger.
All three countries are governed by the military and have quit the regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), to form their own Alliance of Sahel States.
Traoré, one of the world’s youngest leaders, has cast himself as a pan-Africanist while cracking down on Western influence and deepening ties with Moscow.
France was Burkina Faso’s main security partner until the 2022 coup, after which hundreds of French soldiers were withdrawn from operations against extremist fighters.
The West African country has been battered for more than a decade by insurgents linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State, with the bloodshed worsening under military rule, according to analysts.
The break follows earlier clashes between the two governments, including the recall of the French ambassador in 2023 and the expulsion of three French diplomats the following year.
