Three French diplomats, including two political advisors at the French embassy in Ouagadougou, were declared “persona non grata’ and asked to leave the territory within 48 hours. The three diplomats are Gwenalle Habouzit, Hervé Fournier, and Guillaume Reisacher, according to the Burkinabe ministry.
Relations between France and Burkina have deteriorated since Captain Ibrahim Traoré came to power in September 2022 in a coup - the second in eight months. Burkina Faso has also suspended several French media outlets, including Le Monde, Radio, Radio France International and Le Mondes de Paris. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs was not able to react immediately to the decision. The decision is a new sign of the current strong tension between this country and France, a French diplomatic source said. The diplomats were asked to leave the territory of Burkinabè in the next 48 hours.