France changing strategy to maintain forces in Africa: Burkina Faso leader
Capt. Ibrahim Traore dubs French military advisers ‘most dangerous’ for their role in Africa
By Oumar Sankare
BAMAKO, Mali (AA) - The Burkina Faso leader said Paris is changing its strategy to maintain its forces in Africa, as many nations expelled French soldiers and bases.
“They will not leave certain countries ... They will set up security companies to secure their companies which are in these countries, but the soldiers will be there. You will no longer see them in uniform or gathered in bases,” Capt. Ibrahim Traore said at a ceremony in the capital Ouagadougou on Monday, regretting that many of his peers "had not yet understood this."
Burkina Faso is under army rule since January 2022. The West African nation was among the first African nations to expel French forces.
Over the past few years, several African nations including Niger and Mali have expelled French military bases, while Ivory Coast, Chad and Senegal have demanded the withdrawal of French forces.
French forces are expected to complete withdrawal from Chad by the end of January.
Djibouti and Gabon are the only two remaining African nations with continued French military presence.
- 'Break military pacts with France'
Traore called on African nations to break the military cooperation agreements with France. “It is the only way to have an independent army, to build ourselves and to be strong," he said.
Reacting to recent comments by French President Emmanuel Macron, Traore called on the people to be cautious. "This is just a smokescreen for the people," he said.
In an address to the diplomatic corps last week, Macron said African leaders had "forgotten to say thank you" to France for “helping to combat” insurgencies” in the Sahel region.
“If you want a break with these imperialist forces, it’s simple. We must denounce the agreements. The problem lies in the colonial defense agreements that have been signed since independence,” Traore said.
"In the French system, the most dangerous are the military advisers,” said the military ruler in charge since September 2022. “They are the ones responsible for putting France’s policy in Africa into practice."
Traore called on Africans “to wake up, to work for the happiness of African people, to fight against imperialism and to decolonize mentalities.”
*Writing by Riyaz ul Khaliq in Istanbul
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