Ouagadougou – Security forces in Burkina Faso used tear gas on Friday to scatter anti-French demonstrators staging the latest protest against the country’s former colonial power and ally in its troubled fight against jihadists.
Police dispersed a crowd of several hundred people as they marched towards the French embassy in the capital, demanding that France withdraw its forces from Burkina Faso, an AFP journalist saw.
Some of the demonstrators then headed off on motorbike to Kamboinsin, on the outskirts of Ouagadougou, where France has a special forces unit.
Some protestors carried the Russian flag, reflecting support for calls for Burkina Faso to follow Mali and pull away from France and weave closer ties with the Kremlin.
“We don’t want anything more to do with France,” said Salif Belem, who was holding a Russian flag.
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“Our country is regularly attacked by terrorists. If their (the French) presence doesn’t get results, they should move over for other partners.”
France is facing mounting hostility among erstwhile colonies in the French-speaking Sahel, a region that is being battered by a decade-old jihadist insurgency.
France this year withdrew its forces from Mali after an escalating row with the junta, fuelled by alleged deployment of Wagner mercenaries from Russia.
French interests in Burkina Faso, including the embassy and French cultural institute in Ouagadougou, were attacked by demonstrators during a coup on September 30.
The putsch – the second since January – was led by a 34-year-old captain, Ibrahim Traore, who has since been appointed president pending the return of civilian rule.
The two coups have been driven by anger within the military at failure to stem the toll from jihadist attacks.
Since 2015, thousands of civilians and members of the security forces have died and around two million have been displaced.
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Source: AFP
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