France has withdrawn all its diplomats from Burkina Faso after the military-led government severed diplomatic relations with its former colonial power last month. French officials confirmed diplomats returned home in early July, while Burkinabe staff were ordered out of France by a set deadline. Paris called the rupture “unfounded” and indicative of what it described as worsening instability under the junta. Relations have deteriorated steadily since a 2022 coup brought Captain Ibrahim Traoré to power; his government has pursued anti-Western policies, expelled French troops, and pivoted toward Russia, Turkey, and Iran. The rupture grants Burkina Faso greater flexibility to pursue alternative alliances, while France loses influence in a region where it once played a dominant role. Over the longer term, the split underscores a broader geopolitical shift across the Sahel, where traditional Western influence continues to give way to new external partners.
Le Monde