Burkina announces French army operation officially over
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (AFP):
Burkina Faso’s army has announced that operations by the army of the former imperialist power France in the crisis-hit West African state are officially over.
Senior officers from Burkina Faso and France’s forces in the country held a flag-lowering ceremony to mark the occasion at a camp on the outskirts of the capital Ouagadougou, Burkina’s army said in a statement.
Last month France confirmed it would withdraw its contingent of hundreds of troops stationed in Burkina Faso, after the junta ruling the Sahel country demanded that the force pull out within four weeks over concerns of interference.
Their departure marks another significant step in the scaling-down of France’s military presence in the region.
As French forces quit the region, there is concern among western countries over the increasing influence of Russia there, in particular the presence of mercenaries from the Wagner Group run by an ally of President Vladimir Putin.
France’s disengagement will be finalised by a logistics team deployed for this purpose, the Burkina Faso army statement said.
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