The military Junta ruling Burkina Faso expelled three French diplomats for alleged subversive activities, the country’s foreign ministry said in a letter on Thursday.
The French foreign ministry rejected the allegation and said the work of the diplomats is fully consistent with the Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic and Consular Relations.
The incident comes amid a series of tensions that have marked relations between the two countries since Captain Ibrahim Traore seized power in a coup in 2022, leading to a breakdown in relations with its former colonial ruler France.
Burkina Faso’s foreign ministry announced the decision in a note sent to the French embassy in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, on Tuesday. The note was kept secret until Thursday.
In the note, the three diplomats were declared “persona non grata” and told to leave the country within 48 hours.
Radio France International (RFI), which is banned in Burkina Faso, said the three diplomats held “classic diplomatic activities in recent days, including meetings with civil society members, social media influencers, businessmen and CEOs of some institutions.”
The radio, which is close to the French State, said the three diplomats also held meetings with “local media outlets opposed to the ruling military council,” wondering if the diplomats were expelled because of those meetings.
FRI added that one of the diplomats had left Burkina Faso several days ago. It did not disclose information about the two other.
In the first official comment on the issue, Paris regretted Ouagadougou's decision to expel the French diplomats, categorically denying all charges against them.
“There were no legitimate grounds for the Burkinabe authorities' decision. We can only deplore it,” said Christophe Lemoine, a French foreign ministry spokesman.
He said allegations against the three were “unfounded,” after Ouagadougou accused them of “subversive activities.”
Relations between the two countries have deteriorated considerably since Captain Ibrahim Traoré came to power in a coup d'état in September 2022, the second in eight months.
Burkina Faso canceled a 1961 military accord between the two countries and had ordered a withdrawal of French troops.
