The French foreign ministry says it received a letter from the Burkinabe authorities in December requesting the departure of France’s ambassador from Burkina Faso.

The French ministry’s spokeswoman confirmed to Reuters on Tuesday by email that it had received such a letter, but declined to give further details or say how it had responded.

The Burkinabe government has declined to comment officially on reports it sent this request to Paris last month.

“We have indeed received a letter from the Burkinabe transitional authorities. This is not standard practice and we have no public comment to make in response,” the French foreign ministry spokeswoman said over email.

The whereabouts and status of French Ambassador Luc Hallade could not immediately be confirmed. The embassy in Ouagadougou declined to comment.

The apparent expulsion signals a further deterioration in relations between Burkina Faso and former coloniser France which maintains strong ties with other former colonies in West Africa and has special forces stationed there.


Protests by opponents of Paris’s military presence surged last year, partly linked to France’s perceived inefficiency in tackling armed groups that have spread their sphere of influence in recent years from neighbouring Mali.

The prolonged insecurity led to political instability and military coups in Mali – in August 2020 and May 2021 – and in Burkina Faso – in January and September 2022.

Angry protesters targeted the French embassy, cultural centre and military base in Burkina Faso on the day of the second coup and on November 18. Demonstrators demanded that France leave and called on the interim military authorities to ask Russia for help fighting the rebels, as it is doing in Mali.

After the second coup in Ouagadougou, the Burkinabe government accused France of supporting toppled military leader Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba in planning a counteroffensive.

Praxis758:
Still wondering how the French government delights in causing instability in francophone countries in Africa.

This French government are using the instability to cash out by selling arms and also using those unwise francophone countries to flex muscles in the global politics.

After the French destroyed Guinea who had sought independence, the alternative was to pay a tax. No African country could estimate the effect this had on 14 different countries.

When Guinea demanded independence from French colonial rule in 1958, the French unleashed their fury with more than 3,000 leaving the country taking their enteire property. In addition, they destroyed anything that couldn't be taken – destroying schools, nurseries, public administration buildings, cars, books, medicine, research institute instruments, tractors were crushed and sabotaged, animals killed and food in warehouses were burned or poisoned. In effect they were sending a message to all other colonies that the consqueences for jrejecting France would be high.

Colonialism as an enduring stain in Africa’s history, and economic oppression continue to exist. An article by Mawuna Remarque Koutonin, peace activist and editor of SiliconAfrica.com addressed this practice.

The article called attention to an ongoing practice by which former African countries are forced to pay a colonial tax to France – even today. In fact, France continues to thrive on the practice, which extracts approximately 500 billion dollars from African countries each year.

As Koutonin notes, this outrageous tax deprives African economies of much needed funds, exacerbates debt, and strips their authority over their own natural reserves. But the detriments are more than just economic, as the ills of colonialism manifest in social ways that are equally devastating to the dignity and identity of the African people

Sylvanus Olympio, the first president of the Republic of Togo, instead of signing the colonisation continuation pact with De Gaulle, instead agreed to pay an annual debt to France for the so called benefits of French colonisation. This prevented the French not destroying the country before they left however the amount estimated by France was so big that the reimbursement of the so called “colonial debt” was close to 40% of the country budget in 1963. Olympio’s dream was to build an independent and self-sufficient and self-reliant country but the French had him killed by a seargeant who was given a $612 bounty by the French embassy.

History has shown that despite years of African fighting to liberate themselves, France repeatedly used many exForeign legionnaires to carry out coups against elected presidents. This included Jean-Bedel Bokassa who assassinated David Dacko, the first President of the Central African Republic. In the last 50 years, a total of 67 coups has occurred in 26 African countries, of which 16 are ex-French colonies. This indicates that France is desperate to hold on to whatever land it has in Africa.

In March 2008, former French President Jacques Chirac said:
“Without Africa, France will slide down into the rank of a third [world] power” and that Chirac’s predecessor François Mitterand already prophesied in 1957 that: “Without Africa, France will have no history in the 21st century”.

TOPCRUISE:
Burkina Faso asked for their presence in the first place. The french did not force themselves on this Burkina Faso. It was because of insecurity, armed banditry and Boko Haram from Mali and others that causing problems that led Burkina faso to request for their help

fredoooooo:
Why can't the west just leave Africa alone ...

fredoooooo:
Why can't the west just leave Africa alone ...

Powersurge:


This is the sound of a weakling. There is hardly anytime in history where the oppressor willingly allow the oppressed to go.

The Francophone countries are responsible for over 50% of the GDP of france. They pay tithe to France every year. France prints and determines value of their currency. 15% of their GDPs are kept in France in gold.

Tell which stupid people allow modern day slavery? And which oppressor would allow such stupid people to go? France has put a yoke on their necks.

Praxis758:
Still wondering how the French government delights in causing instability in francophone countries in Africa.

This French government are using the instability to cash out by selling arms and also using those unwise francophone countries to flex muscles in the global politics.

chosengocap:



You are so very far from reality

Praxis758:
Still wondering how the French government delights in causing instability in francophone countries in Africa.

This French government are using the instability to cash out by selling arms and also using those unwise francophone countries to flex muscles in the global politics.