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France’s deputy foreign minister visited jihadist-torn Burkina Faso and denied accusations that Paris was trying to interfere in an already troubled former colony.
After a meeting with the leader of the junta, Colonel Ibrahim Traoré, Deputy Minister Kryzula Zachalopoulou asserted that France “imposed nothing” on Burkina Faso.
“I have come to send a clear message of the continued engagement of my country, France, at a critical time. We will continue to be involved, and as the Burkinabe authorities want,” she defended.
Additionally, the ongoing Operation Saber, which aims to track down jihadist leaders in the Sahel region, was also discussed.
“As for Saber (special operations to track down jihadist leaders in the Sahel, editor’s note), we will continue to exist as long as we wish to exist. It exists, we are in danger, it is a sovereign state and it is up to that state to decide on the choice of partners,” Zachalopoulou clarified.
The talks between the two countries were a response to growing pressure from denunciations of neo-colonialism and growing anti-French sentiments fueled by critics calling for closer ties between Captain Traoré and Moscow.
Burkina Faso has been reeling from jihadist uprisings that swept through neighboring Mali in 2015.
Last week, French Ambassador Luc Hallard was asked to resign. This comes a year after Mali’s military junta expelled the French ambassador to the country.
Thousands have died and nearly two million have been forced from their homes, sparking a security and humanitarian crisis that sparked two coups last year.
Over a third of the country is not under government control.
Last December, the military government ordered the suspension of Radio France International (RFI) for broadcasting “threatening messages” from “terrorist leaders”.
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