” I am waiting for transitional president Ibrahim Traoré to speak. Reaction of the French president, following the announcements of the presumed departure of French troops from Burkina Faso at the request of the latter. On Saturday evening, the Burkinabe Information Agency (AIB) claimed that the government had ” deed “this French military withdrawal” of its territory », within one month. But for the moment, no declaration or official document has confirmed this information, while popular gatherings against the French military presence are multiplying.
It was from Paris, during a press conference organized on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the reconciliation treaty between France and Germany, that President Emmanuel Macron reacted to the announcements of the Burkinabè News Agency .
According to the AIB, Burkina Faso would have ” recorded the departure of the French army from its territory “. The news agency maintains that the government would have denounced, last week, the agreement which has governed since 2018 the presence of French troops in the country.
The 400 members of the special forces of Operation Saber would therefore have one month to pack up. But for Emmanuel Macron, this announcement requires clarification from Captain Ibrahim Traoré, president of the Burkinabè transition.
I am waiting for the transitional president Traoré to be able to speak, because I understood that the messages which had come out at this stage were part of a great confusion, this one being on the move outside the capital. So, I think we have to be very careful, and watch out for what is a specialty of some in the region, who may have something to do with what we are experiencing in Ukraine, namely our Russian friends. […]. We are awaiting clarifications from Mr. Traoré on this subject.
Request for French troops to leave Burkina Faso: Macron awaits “clarifications”
Since the putsch last September, demonstrations against the French military presence have multiplied in Ouagadougou. At the beginning of January, the transitional authorities demanded the departure of the French ambassador from the territory.
Before the speech of the Head of State, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs had refused to react, despite requests from RFI. According to an authoritative French source, Paris has not received a formal denunciation of the 2018 agreement.
►Read again: Burkina Faso requests the departure of French troops according to the AIB, the Burkina Information Agency