AA / Ouagadougou / Dramane Traoré
Burkina Faso has claimed “no longer to have confidence in the French ambassador Luc Hallade” and has been asking the French authorities for a fortnight for his replacement, the Burkina Information Agency (AIB, official) reported on Wednesday. , citing a source familiar with the matter.
“It’s a crisis of confidence. It’s not the end of the diplomatic relationship, but it’s the interlocutor that we simply ask to change,” the country’s official news agency said, citing the same source. adding that “it is not a question of a break with France but we no longer want to collaborate with this ambassador”.
A diplomatic source reached by Anadolu Agency in Ouagadougou, said that the Burkinabè authorities have since December 20, 2022 sent an official letter to Paris to demand the replacement of its diplomat. The information is relayed by several media, including the pan-African media “Jeune Afrique”.
Since that date, France has not reacted.
The reasons for this diplomatic quarrel are not known, but observers point out that the reaction of the Burkinabè authorities could be linked to a letter dated December 12, 2022 from the French diplomat calling on French nationals living in the city of Koudougou (100 km of Ouagadougou) to leave this city for security reasons.
– A long-standing discomfort
In July 2022, Burkina Faso had protested against the remarks of the same French ambassador Luc Hallade who had described the security situation in Burkina Faso as a civil war while minimizing the efforts of the Burkinabè Defense and Security Forces in the fight against terrorism. , during a hearing of the France-West Africa friendship group in the French Senate.
In the same context, on December 23, the transitional government of Burkina Faso declared “persona non grata” the United Nations Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator and designated official in the country, Barbara Manzi.
The Burkinabè Minister in charge of Foreign Affairs Olivia Rouamba had explained that “it is the individual who is not in phase with the vision of the moment in Burkina Faso” adding that the Burkinabè government reproaches Barbara Manzi for having taken the “unilateral decision” to evacuate the families of staff of United Nations system agencies on the pretext that the security situation in Ouagadougou was threatened.
Before the expulsion of the United Nations official, two French citizens had been arrested for espionage activities by the defense and security forces and expelled from Burkinabe territory on the night of December 17 to 18, 2022.
Since December 3, 2022, the Burkinabè government has decided to suspend until further notice the broadcasting of Radio France Internationale (RFI) programs throughout the national territory because of “deficiencies” observed in the work of the French media, according to an official press release.
Since the September 30, 2022 coup, the second in eight months in Burkina Faso, diplomatic relations between Burkina Faso and France, already affected by the rise of French anti-political sentiment in Africa, seem to be further troubled. in addition with the advent of several “incidents”.
Faced with a security crisis fueled by terrorist attacks since 2015, in addition to internal actions to regain territory, Burkina Faso is also committed to diversifying its partnerships in the military field in order to intensify the fight against terrorism.
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