Burkina Faso has expelled two European Union diplomats from the bloc’s delegation in the capital Ouagadougou and given them three days to leave the country.
The two officials were declared persona non grata on July 14, according to the Burkinabe state news agency AIB. They are the deputy head of the EU delegation, who also runs its political, press and information section, and a programme officer.
No reason has been given for the decision. The Burkinabe authorities have not commented publicly on it.
An EU spokesman said the bloc regretted the move and saw no justification for it, in remarks to Europa Press. He said the EU was assessing the situation carefully before deciding on an appropriate response, and would not confirm any retaliatory measures.
The expulsions come less than a month after Burkina Faso severed diplomatic relations with France on June 26, accusing Paris of neo-colonial ambitions and of backing terrorists.
The French foreign ministry confirmed on July 6 that all its diplomatic staff had returned from Ouagadougou. A spokesman called the rupture a hostile and unfounded decision that illustrated the worrying drift of the Burkinabe authorities, according to Europa Press.
Relations between Ouagadougou and Brussels soured after the European Parliament adopted a resolution on June 18 condemning what it called the continued crackdown on civic space and fundamental freedoms in the country.
The text passed by 476 votes to 11, with 75 abstentions. It accused the Burkinabe Government of arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance and the unlawful conscription of journalists, opponents and judges, and raised concerns about Russia’s growing influence after the departure of European forces.
Burkinabe foreign minister Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré summoned the EU ambassador, Philippe Bronchain, on June 22 to protest. The government described the resolution as unacceptable interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state and demanded that MEPs withdraw it.
Burkina Faso has pulled away from France and other Western partners since Captain Ibrahim Traoré seized power in a coup in September 2022, the second that year.
The military government has drawn closer to Russia and formed a political and military alliance with the juntas in Mali and Niger. The three have quit the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to set up their own Alliance of Sahel States, and each has wound down defence cooperation with European partners.
The EU remains one of the country’s largest donors, committing €283 million in grants between 2021 and 2024, according to the European Commission, though budget support and security programmes are on hold.
Brussels has yet to say what it would do about the expulsions.
