France’s President Emmanuel Macron thanked Morocco’s King Mohammed VI on Wednesday for having successfully mediated the release of four French nationals held for more than a year on espionage charges in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, according to Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Burkina Faso’s authorities had accused the French citizens of spying and arrested them on December 1, 2023. Burkinabè authorities claimed they were agents of France’s General Directorate of External Security (DGSE).
A French diplomatic source said that at the time of their arrest, the four French nationals were officials carrying diplomatic passports and visas and dismissed accusations that they were involved in activities unrelated to their IT maintenance roles, according to media reports.
Relations between France and Burkina Faso significantly deteriorated after Captain Ibrahim Traoré seized power in a coup in September 2022—the second coup within eight months. Since then, France’s embassy in Burkina Faso has been led only by a Chargé d’Affaires after the authorities requested that Ambassador Luc Hallade leave the country.
In April 2023, two political advisers from the French embassy were declared “persona non grata” for alleged “subversive activities” and were expelled. The following month, Burkina Faso terminated a 1961 military agreement with France, subsequently ordering the withdrawal of French forces.
In the wake of these developments, Burkina Faso has joined forces with Mali and Niger to form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). The coalition is now working to combat recurring jihadist attacks while deepening ties with alternative global powers, including Russia.