Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (AP) — The military government ruling Burkina Faso has officially cut all diplomatic ties with France, the West African nation’s former colonial ruler and one-time key security partner, in a dramatic breakdown of relations between the two countries.
In a statement released Friday, the junta announced the break was effective immediately, charging France with harboring “blatant neo-colonial ambitions and active support for subversive networks and terrorists.” No supporting evidence was offered for those accusations.
France’s Foreign Ministry pushed back quickly. Spokesman Pascal Confavreux described the move as a “hostile and unfounded decision, which illustrates the worrying drift of the Burkinabè authorities,” adding that the country deeply regrets the action.
Confavreux also noted that “necessary reciprocal measures are currently under review” and said France is keeping a close watch on the safety of its government personnel and citizens currently in Burkina Faso, urging them to remain on high alert.
Burkina Faso’s Communications Minister Pingdwende Gilbert Ouedraogo explained the decision in a separate statement, saying, “The conditions essential for fostering relations based on mutual respect, reciprocal trust, and respect for the principle of non-interference in internal affairs and national sovereignty are no longer met.”
The nation of 23 million people has endured years of brutal violence carried out by extremist groups with ties to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. Government forces have also repeatedly faced accusations of extrajudicial killings. The broader Sahel region where Burkina Faso is located holds the grim distinction of being the deadliest area in the world for extremist activity.
The rift between Burkina Faso and France has been building for years. In 2023, the junta demanded France recall its ambassador and declared the United Nations’ resident and humanitarian coordinator in the country unwelcome. The following year, in 2024, three French diplomats were expelled on allegations of engaging in subversive activities.
Before a 2022 coup, France had served as Burkina Faso’s primary security partner, with hundreds of French troops deployed to help fight extremist groups. After the coup, the junta dismissed those forces. Despite the military government’s promises to restore order, analysts say the violence has only grown worse since then.
A recent report from Human Rights Watch found that in the two years following the coup, Burkina Faso’s own forces allegedly killed twice as many civilians as the extremists did. The report attributed at least 1,200 of the 1,837 civilians killed between January 2023 and August 2025 to government forces.
It remains unclear what the formal end of diplomatic relations will mean in practice, including what happens to the French embassy currently operating in Burkina Faso.
