However, French officials have not confirmed the number of troops and it remains unclear where they will move to. In Africa, France has bases in Djibouti, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Niger and Senegal. French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to announce a restructuring of France’s military presence on the continent later this year.
The withdrawal of French troops epitomizes a broader malaise developing between Burkina Faso and its former colonial ruler, a Phenomenon spreading in the francophone countries of Africa. In Mali, Burkina Faso’s northern neighbor, thousands of French troops fought extremists for nearly a decade, but security did not improve and the reach of armed groups spread from its desert north to its more populated center. The Malians blamed the French for the dire situation in their country, and last year the French ambassador and several French media outlets were ejected while all his troops were withdrawn under heavy pressure from the Malian government.
A similar scenario has played out in Burkina Faso, where Islamist militants have been invading since 2015, threatening to destabilize neighboring countries. In recent months, analysts and officials have warned that Burkina Faso could turn the Russian mercenary group Wagner reclaiming lost territories, a scenario that has produced some results on the ground in Mali, but has also led to it Dozens of civilian dead.
In December, Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo accused authorities in Ghana’s neighboring country, Burkina Faso, of signing an agreement with Wagner. “The fact that they operate on our northern border is particularly stressful for us in Ghana,” said Mr. Akufo-Addo.
However, this presence has not been confirmed.
General Didier Castres, a former deputy chief of staff for operations in the French military who was previously stationed in neighboring Mali, echoed Mr Ouedraogo’s statement. “As long as Wagner doesn’t intervene, I think France will keep the doors open,” he said.
