Paris – The French embassy in Burkina Faso remains in limbo after the two countries declared the termination of diplomatic relations.
The French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs issued a statement that ‘authorities note Burkina Faso’s unilateral decision to break off diplomatic relations with France.’
“France regrets this hostile and baseless decision, which illustrates the worrying drift in the Burkinabe authorities’ behaviour,” the statement says. 
Burkina Faso’s military seized power in two coups in 2022, the first by Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who deposed President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré in January of that year. The second, and currently in control, is Ibrahim Traoré’s September 2022 coup, which consolidated power after deposing Damiba.
The Burkinabe government wrote to France saying it is cutting ties with its colonial masters. It accused France of “blatant neo-colonial ambitions and active support for subversive networks and terrorists”.
France hit back, where Foreign Ministry spokesman Pascal Confavreux said, ‘Necessary reciprocal measures are currently being considered.’
France expressed solidarity with Burkina Faso’s 23 million people, recalling the two countries’ close connections.
It is unclear what the French authorities have done about their mission in the West African country, other than to announce that they are prioritising the safety of state officials and the French population. It cautioned French nationals in that country to be more vigilant.
“In these special circumstances, they call on French nationals to increase their vigilance.”
