<p>After a downturn in bilateral relations in recent months, Burkina Faso declared on Sunday (February 19)&nbsp;that French military operations in the West African nation were now completely over. Top officers from the Burkinabe and French forces in the country conducted a flag-lowering ceremony to mark the event on Saturday at a camp outside of the nation's capital, Ouagadougou, according to a statement from the Burkinabe army.</p>

<p>As Burkina Faso's ruling junta demanded the military leave within four weeks, France said last month that it will withdraw its contingent of hundreds of soldiers stationed there, said an AFP report.</p>

<p>The request was made just a few days after Burkina's Prime Minister Apollinaire Kyelem de Tembela said that Russia would make a "reasonable" strong ally in the fight against jihadists.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ |</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-reminds-france-of-napoleon-slams-emmanuel-macron-for-regime-change-remark-563666">Russia slams Emmanuel Macron for his remarks, says Moscow remembers Napoleon’s fate</a></p>

<p>"This does not mean the end of diplomatic relations between Burkina Faso and France," government spokesman Jean-Emmanuel Ouedraogo told broadcaster RTV following the announcement.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO WATCH |&nbsp;Munich Security Summit | Macron: Russia should be defeated in Ukraine, not crushed at home</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/munich-security-summit-macron-russia-should-be-defeated-in-ukraine-not-crushed-at-home-563590/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>Once France's military presence in the area is minimised, their departure would mark yet another important milestone.</p>

<p>The anti-jihadist Barkhane mission there was terminated in 2022 by French President Emmanuel Macron after a decade at the demand of the junta in neighbouring Mali.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

<p><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE:</strong></p>

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After a downturn in bilateral relations in recent months, Burkina Faso declared on Sunday (February 19) that French military operations in the West African nation were now completely over.

After a downturn in bilateral relations in recent months, Burkina Faso declared on Sunday (February 19) that French military operations in the West African nation were now completely over. Top officers from the Burkinabe and French forces in the country conducted a flag-lowering ceremony to mark the event on Saturday at a camp outside of the nation's capital, Ouagadougou, according to a statement from the Burkinabe army. As Burkina Faso's ruling junta demanded the military leave within four weeks, France said last month that it will withdraw its contingent of hundreds of soldiers stationed there, said an AFP report. The request was made just a few days after Burkina's Prime Minister Apollinaire Kyelem de Tembela said that Russia would make a "reasonable" strong ally in the fight against jihadists. ALSO READ | Russia slams Emmanuel Macron for his remarks, says Moscow remembers Napoleon’s fate "This does not mean the end of diplomatic relations between Burkina Faso and France," government spokesman Jean-Emmanuel Ouedraogo told broadcaster RTV following the announcement. ALSO WATCH | Munich Security Summit | Macron: Russia should be defeated in Ukraine, not crushed at home Once France's military presence in the area is minimised, their departure would mark yet another important milestone. The anti-jihadist Barkhane mission there was terminated in 2022 by French President Emmanuel Macron after a decade at the demand of the junta in neighbouring Mali. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Burkina Faso announces the end of French military operations on its land

<p>Following Mali, Burkina Faso has also ordered hundreds of French troops to depart the West African country within a month as the government seeks to end the French military’s presence on Burkinabe soil.&nbsp;The announcement was made on Wednesday, National broadcaster RTB reported on Saturday citing the official Agence d’Information du Burkina.</p>

<p>The development comes amidst massive protests in the capital Ouagadougou last week, calling for the ouster of the French ambassador and the closure of a French military base north of the capital.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The decision was welcomed by the protesters on Saturday,</p>

<p>“Despite their presence on Burkinabe soil with huge equipment and their power at the intelligence level, they couldn’t help us defeat terrorism,” Passamde Sawadogo, a prominent civil society activist and reggae singer, told AP news agency.</p>

<h2><strong>Gravitas: All about the insurgency in Burkina Faso</strong></h2>

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<p>“It, therefore, was time for us to get rid of them, and that’s what the transition government is doing with a lot of boldness.”</p>

<p>According to France 24, around 400 French special forces soldiers are currently based in Burkina Faso. While in Mali, around 2,400 soldiers were present.</p>

<p>The move comes five months after France completed its withdrawal from Mali after nine years of fighting Islamic extremists alongside regional troops. Many of those have now been shifted to Niger and Chad instead.</p>

<p>The announcement has caused concern over Burkina Faso and Mali’s capability to counter Islamic extremists, who are said to be exploiting the political disarray to expand their reach.</p>

<p>Burkina Faso, a former colony of France which gained independence 60 years ago, has maintained strong economic and humanitarian aid ties with Paris.</p>

<p>As the Islamic extremist insurgency has deepened, however, anti-French sentiment has spiked due in part to the unabating violence.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

<p><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE: </strong></p>

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Following Mali, Burkina Faso has also ordered hundreds of French troops to depart the West African country within a month as the government seeks to end the French military’s presence on Burkinabe soil.

Following Mali, Burkina Faso has also ordered hundreds of French troops to depart the West African country within a month as the government seeks to end the French military’s presence on Burkinabe soil. The announcement was made on Wednesday, National broadcaster RTB reported on Saturday citing the official Agence d’Information du Burkina. The development comes amidst massive protests in the capital Ouagadougou last week, calling for the ouster of the French ambassador and the closure of a French military base north of the capital. The decision was welcomed by the protesters on Saturday, “Despite their presence on Burkinabe soil with huge equipment and their power at the intelligence level, they couldn’t help us defeat terrorism,” Passamde Sawadogo, a prominent civil society activist and reggae singer, told AP news agency. Gravitas: All about the insurgency in Burkina Faso “It, therefore, was time for us to get rid of them, and that’s what the transition government is doing with a lot of boldness.” According to France 24, around 400 French special forces soldiers are currently based in Burkina Faso. While in Mali, around 2,400 soldiers were present. The move comes five months after France completed its withdrawal from Mali after nine years of fighting Islamic extremists alongside regional troops. Many of those have now been shifted to Niger and Chad instead. The announcement has caused concern over Burkina Faso and Mali’s capability to counter Islamic extremists, who are said to be exploiting the political disarray to expand their reach. Burkina Faso, a former colony of France which gained independence 60 years ago, has maintained strong economic and humanitarian aid ties with Paris. As the Islamic extremist insurgency has deepened, however, anti-French sentiment has spiked due in part to the unabating violence. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Burkina Faso orders French troops to leave amidst massive protest

Is French President Emmanuel Macron facing a rebellion from his military? Another open letter has been published. It warns that France is on the brink of collapse and accuses the Macron government of trying to silence warnings of civil war. Palki Sharma tells you more.

Gravitas: Is the French military rebelling against Macron?

A group of serving French soldiers has published an open letter in a conservative magazine warning President Emmanuel Macron that the 'survival' of France is at stake because he has made 'concessions' to Islamism.

Macron warned over France's 'survival' by soldiers through an open letter

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Burkina Faso announces the end of French military operations on its land

Burkina Faso orders French troops to leave amidst massive protest

Gravitas: Is the French military rebelling against Macron?

Macron warned over France's 'survival' by soldiers through an open letter