RABAT, Morocco (AP) — France said Thursday that Burkina Faso has released four French nationals it had held for a year after negotiations mediated by Morocco.
France’s Elysee Palace said in a statement that President Emmanuel Macron thanked Moroccan King Mohamed VI for mediating the discussions that led to their release.
The Moroccan Foreign Ministry called it a “humanitarian initiative” and praised its own role in mediating between the two countries.
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French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu posted on X that the prisoners were members of the armed forces.
The four French nationals were arrested in Ouagadougou in December 2023 on what Jeune Afrique and French media reported as espionage-related charges. Their detention came at a low point in France’s relations with its former colonies in the Sahel, including Burkina Faso. After two coups, the landlocked country of 20 million people expelled French troops and turned to Russia for security support.
The ruling junta has since joined forces with neighboring countries to form the Alliance of Sahel States. The alliance’s three countries – Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso – have each struggled to manage security and humanitarian crises.
Amid France’s retreat in the Sahel, Russia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates have each sought to expand their security and trade partnerships in the region. Morocco has also sought to play a greater role as a diplomatic mediator and economic partner, launching new initiatives to deepen ties and build infrastructure, giving landlocked countries new gateways to the Atlantic Ocean.
