AP, OUAGADOUGOU

Burkina Faso’s military government severed diplomatic ties with France, its former colonial ruler that had been a key security partner for the West African nation before relations fractured.The junta on Friday said it broke off relations with France effective immediately, accusing it of “blatant neo-colonial ambitions and active support for subversive networks and terrorists.”French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs spokesman Pascal Confavreux said the country regrets the “hostile and unfounded decision, which illustrates the worrying drift of the Burkinabe authorities.”

Demonstrators gather in Ouagadougou to show support to the military while holding an anti-France banner on Jan. 25, 2022.

“Necessary reciprocal measures are currently under review,” he added. France is monitoring the safety of French government personnel and citizens in Burkina Faso, he said, urging them to exercise heightened vigilance.

It was unclear what would follow the end of diplomatic relations or how the French embassy in Burkina Faso would be affected.“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,” Burkinabe Minister of Communications, Culture, Arts and Tourism Pingdwende Gilbert Ouedraogo said in a statement.Burkina Faso’s military government has in the past targeted foreign diplomats, including the French, whom it has often accused of working against its interests. In 2023, the junta asked France to recall its ambassador and declared the UN humanitarian coordinator in the country persona non grata. In 2024, it expelled three French diplomats for alleged subversive activities.France was Burkina Faso’s major security partner until a 2022 coup. The junta then sacked hundreds of French forces sent to fight extremist groups.The violence has worsened under the military government that had promised to curb it, analysts said.Government forces were responsible for at least 1,200 of the 1,837 civilians killed in the country between January 2023 and August last year, a recent Human Rights Watch report said.