According to the government press agency, the military government of Burkina Faso is demanding the departure of French troops from the country. The government cited the terms of the 2018 agreement that state that France has exactly one month to remove all of tis troops from the country.
France still has 400 special forces based in Burkina Faso to help fight Islamist militants that are connected to al Qaeda and the Islamic State. Residents in the capital Ouagadougou protested the presence of French troops on Friday. France first entered the region in January 2013 at Mali’s request and launched Operation Serval. This was a United Nations- sanctioned operation against Islamist militants. In June of 2021, it was announced that the mission would be replaced by a more international effort and Western troops began withdrawing from Mali in February of last year, but remained in Burkina Faso.
Read More: Burkina Faso’s military government demands French troops leave the country within one month