- The French military operation in Burkina Faso has been declared over by the ruling military junta.
- France’s soldiers should support Burkina Faso in the fight against Islamist groups.
On January 18, the military junta asked France to withdraw its deployed soldiers within a month. The military, which had been put into power, thus canceled the agreement with France, which regulated the presence of French armed forces in Burkina Faso. Instead, another country is expanding diplomatically in the Sahel.
The French military operation was officially declared over last weekend. The mission ended on Saturday with a flag-raising ceremony at a base near the capital, Ouagadougou. It is not known how many of the 400 soldiers who were deployed were still in the country. A large part of the troops have already left the country, according to security circles.
The fight against Islamist groups
The aim of the French military operation was to support Burkina Faso in the fight against Islamist groups. France had already withdrawn its soldiers from neighboring Mali in August 2022. This approach was intended to reduce anti-French propaganda.
Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in the world. Since 2015 there have been regular armed attacks by jihadist groups working with al-Qaeda and IS. Two million people are currently fleeing the West African country.
Russia takes over in the Sahel
While France is being forced to retreat, the states in the Sahel are welcoming Russia with open arms. Ulf Laessing, head of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation’s Sahel regional program, says: “The West is perceived as bad, although it is actually the partner for development cooperation.” Meanwhile, Russia is celebrated as the savior. So far, Russia has only made diplomatic efforts in the region. It remains to be seen whether military support will follow and whether it would be more successful than the French.