The move comes after the Sahel country’s military rulers demanded that Paris withdraw its forces.
France will withdraw its troops from Burkina Faso within a month after the West African country’s military rulers asked it to, the French foreign ministry said, in a move that will further reduce its presence in a region facing growing violence by armed groups. .
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the French ministry said it had received notification the previous day that the 2018 agreement on the status of French troops in the country had been terminated.
“According to the terms of the agreement, the cancellation will take effect one month after the written notice is received. By complying with this request, we will comply with the terms of this agreement.”
France keeps about 200 to 400 special forces in its former colony.
On Monday, Ouagadougou said it had decided to end a military agreement that allowed French troops to fight armed groups on its territory because the government wants the country to defend itself.
Burkina Faso’s national television reported on Saturday that the government had suspended the 2018 military agreement with Paris on January 18, giving France one month to withdraw its troops.
Protests against the French military presence have grown in Burkina Faso, linked in part to perceptions that France has not done enough to combat violence that has spread in recent years from neighboring Mali, whose military leaders last year asked French forces to leave and deployed Russian privateers instead. of that to the contractors of the protection works.
Burkina Faso is one of the poorest and most unstable countries in Africa. Thousands of soldiers, police and civilians have been killed and around two million people have fled their homes since fighters linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) launched a campaign of violence from neighboring Mali in 2015.
More than a third of the country is outside the government’s control, and frustration within the military over the mounting number of casualties sparked two coups last year.
French defense and diplomatic sources said special forces could be moved to Niger, where a large contingent of French and European forces is now stationed. Paris also has a large military presence in Chad.