The French foreign ministry stated on Tuesday that it received a letter in December from Burkinabe authorities requesting that France’s ambassador leave Burkina Faso, a step that the ministry described as “not standard practice.”
The Burkinabe government has refused to comment on claims that it made this request to Paris last month.
In emailed responses, the French ministry’s spokeswoman admitted receiving such a letter, but failed to disclose any details or say how it had responded.
The location and position of French Ambassador Luc Hallade could not be confirmed immediately, and the embassy in Ouagadougou declined to comment.
The alleged deportation indicates a worsening of relations between France and Burkina Faso, a former French colony in West Africa with which France retains strong connections and has special forces stationed.
Protests by opponents of France’s military presence have increased there this year, partly due to concerns that France has done insufficient to combat an Islamist insurgency that has spread in recent years from neighboring Mali.
Prolonged insecurity resulted in political instability and military coups in Mali in August 2020 and May 2021, and in Burkina Faso in January 2022 and September 2022.
On the day of the second coup, November 18, angry mobs attacked the French embassy, cultural center, and military installation in Burkina Faso.
Demonstrators demanded that France leave and urged the temporary military authorities to seek Russian assistance in battling militants, as they had done in Mali.
Burkinabe authorities ordered senior United Nations official Barbara Manzi to leave the country in late December, accusing her of portraying a poor picture of the country.
