Why have French troops withdrawn from Burkina Faso?

• Recently , Burkina Faso announced an official end to the operations led by France in the country.
• France had signed a military agreement with Burkina Faso in 2018 to achieve stability against the threat of Islamist militant groups.
• France signed a series of similar agreements with other West African nations, including Mali who terminated the operation in late 2022.

Why is France withdrawing?

• For Paris, the military governments in West Africa pose multiple challenges.
• France has also been critical of Russian inroads into Africa.
• It has accused the Russian private military company Wagner Group for working closely with the military governments in West Africa.
• Recently, Burkina Faso’s military government announced its decision to end the military agreement with France and called on Paris to withdraw its troops within a month.

Why did Burkina Faso end it?

• France was asked to withdraw its troops from Burkina Faso months after it pulled out its troops from Mali.
• The primary reason behind the withdrawal is the failure of its counter insurgency operations in the Sahel region against Islamist groups.
• Secondly, as Islamist insurgency kept intensifying, France’s military presence in Burkina Faso came under scrutiny.
• After the second coup in September 2022, anti-France protests increased in Burkina Faso with demonstrators demanding French withdrawal from the country.
• There was also an increasing pro-Russia sentiment. And finally, the ruling military junta of Burkina Faso was looking beyond its traditional allies for support in its counterinsurgency campaign.
• Dissatisfaction with the French approach has made other actors including Russia and China more preferable partners to fight insurgency.

Is there Russian involvement?

• Russia’s engagements in Africa have been under scrutiny for a few years, especially after the resurgence of military governments in West Africa since 2020.
• Following Ouagadougou’s announcement of the termination of France operations, Burkinabe Prime Minister termed Russia “a reasonable choice”.
• Simultaneously, Moscow has been courting African countries; in 2023 alone, Russian Foreign Minister visited seven countries in Africa: Angola, Eswatini, South Africa, Eritrea, Mali, Sudan and Mauritania.

What next for France and Burkina Faso?

• Paris has accepted the military governments’ decision which marks a significant change in its West Africa approach.
• In Burkina Faso, in the absence of France’s troops, the alleged Russian mercenaries may fill the security void, as part of its bid to enhance military engagements in the continent. However, the new developments are unlikely to address the insurgency and the consequent insecurity.