Burkina Faso Cuts Diplomatic Ties With France

West Africa WeeklyJune 29, 20261 Mins read328

Burkina Faso’s military government has announced the immediate severance of diplomatic relations with France, accusing the former colonial power of actions that undermine the country’s sovereignty.

In a televised statement on Friday, Communications Minister Pingdwendé Gilbert Ouédraogo said France had engaged in “unrelenting adversarial conduct” and accused Paris of harboring “neocolonial ambitions.” The statement declared that the conditions of mutual respect between the two nations no longer existed. It further alleged that France was supporting “subversive networks” and attempting to “marginalize” Burkina Faso on the international stage.

France’s foreign ministry responded by calling the decision “hostile and unfounded,” adding that it “illustrates the worrying drift” of Burkina Faso’s government. French authorities also urged their citizens in the country to “exercise vigilance.”

Relations between Burkina Faso and France have deteriorated steadily since Captain Ibrahim Traoré seized power in a 2022 coup and adopted a largely anti-Western stance. Shortly after taking office, Traoré expelled French troops stationed in the country to fight Islamist militants. His government has previously accused France of pursuing a “hidden agenda” and has since shifted diplomatic and military partnerships toward China and Russia.

The Burkinabe statement clarified that the rupture “only concerns the institutional framework” and “will in no way question the historical, human, cultural and social ties between the Burkinabe and French peoples.”

Burkina Faso, like neighboring Mali, has been battling Islamist insurgencies for over a decade, and French forces had previously been part of the regional counterterrorism effort. The military junta, which had promised to restore democratic rule by 2024, failed to meet that deadline and formally dissolved all political parties in January of this year. In 2025, Burkina Faso joined Mali and Niger in withdrawing from the Economic Community of West African States, forming a new bloc called the Alliance of Sahel States.

France has not had an ambassador in Burkina Faso since January 2023. Last year, Ouagadougou expelled three French diplomats on allegations of subversive activities, charges that France firmly denied.