France said on Wednesday it would withdraw its troops from Burkina Faso within a month, CNN reports. The announcement came three days after the country’s government formally requested the move.
French troops entered the Sahel region in 2013 at the request of governments seeking assistance in their fight against a number of jihadist groups. While the deployment was initially lauded as a potential solution to the problem of jihadist violence, local attitudes toward it have soured after years of continued violence.
Dozens of women were kidnapped by suspected jihadists last week, the latest in what has become an all-too-common act of violence in the region. Protests against the French presence had grown in recent months, especially in the wake of a similar withdrawal from neighboring Mali.
On Thursday, France announced that it would recall its ambassador to Burkina Faso.
Dan Keeler is founder and editor-in-chief at Frontier Markets News and the founder and host of FMN’s podcast.
Prior to founding FMN, Dan was Editor, Frontier Markets at the Wall Street Journal.
