2024-04-27 15:04:36
AA/ Ouagadougou/ Dramane Traoré
The president of the transition of Burkina Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traoré explained, Friday evening, in an interview granted to public television (RTB), the reasons for the expulsion on April 18 of three French diplomats stationed in Ouagadougou for “subversive activities”, in a context of particularly tense diplomatic relations between Ouagadougou and Paris.
On April 18, 2024, three French diplomats, including two political advisors stationed at the French embassy in Ouagadougou, were declared personae non gratae “for subversive activities” and ordered to leave Burkinabe territory.
France regretted this decision in a press release, in these terms: “We reject the unfounded accusations made by the Burkinabè authorities once morest our agents.”
“The work of these diplomats and the staff of our embassy in Ouagadougou, whose commitment and great professionalism France salutes, is fully within the framework of the Vienna conventions on diplomatic and consular relations,” he said. she indicated emphasizing that the decision of the Burkinabe authorities “is not based on any legitimate basis”.
In an interview given on April 26, 2024 to Radiodiffusion Télévision du Burkina (RTB), Burkinabè captain Ibrahim Traoré provided some explanations.
“When we say subversive activities, people are very clever and very intelligent in their maneuvers. Today, they have many plans to destabilize Burkina Faso. There is physical elimination, there is the manipulation of a armed fringe, there is also through the media, the diplomacy of the countries (…)”, he mentioned, calling on the populations to be careful.
“Certain organizations are here (in Burkina Faso) and are funded by certain countries to provide reports,” he added, specifying that Burkina Faso’s detractors are seeking to capture allies in several sectors to the interior of the country.
“They are penetrating the world of culture through certain artists. We are following them. They are penetrating the world of media. There are a lot of subversive activities happening. We are not fooled, people have to stop. Wanting to manipulate the people to turn them ( once morest the authorities), they have to stop and we don’t have our tongues in our pockets. given we will explain to the population,” he indicated.
** Fight once morest recolonization
Traoré also reacted to a media outing by General François Lecointre, former chief of staff of the French armies, who had recently expressed his concern regarding the future of European engagement in Africa, in an interview with the newspaper Le Figaro , in these terms: “Europe will have the obligation to return to Africa to help with the restoration of the State and the return of administrations and development (…)”.
For Traoré through this declaration, “They (the Europeans) prepare the mentality of their people in case they physically come here to fight. (…) They do not agree that we decolonize ourselves. They want to recolonize us” .
“Terrorism is here. They know that we are going to defeat terrorism. So, they are now saying that – if they (the Burkinabé) ever manage to defeat terrorism – they must prepare to come and physically recolonize us. Because they do not agree that we are decolonized. Because it is their interests that they live (…) It is a lie that they tell. we prepare accordingly,” he said.
Since Captain Ibrahim Traoré came to power on September 30, 2022, diplomatic relations between Paris and Ouagadougou have continued to deteriorate.
Burkina Faso has ended several agreements which linked it to France – the former colonial power – while diversifying its strategic partners in several areas.
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