Burkina Faso: 4 French nationals arrested on charges of espionage

French media announced the arrest of 4 French employees in Burkina Faso.

Burkinabe sources considered them intelligence agents, while French diplomatic sources described them as maintenance technicians in the field of information technology.

According to Burkinabe source as saying that the Frenchmen who have been arrested since the beginning of December in Ouagaoudou are currently being verified about their real work, while a French diplomatic source says that the Burkinabe police arrested four French employees holding passports and diplomatic visas in early December, adding that they were present in Burkina Faso to conduct an information maintenance operation, for the benefit of the French Embassy in Bouagadougou.

According to the same source, these detainees were charged with after which they were transferred to Ouagadougou prison, adding that the French Consulate General was able to exercise consular protection and visit them.

The diplomatic source said that France took note of the ongoing legal procedures, but rejects the accusations that these technicians were sent to Burkina Faso for reasons other than maintenance work, and calls for their return without delay.

According to the French Jeune Afrique magazine, the four Frenchmen are accused of espionage, adding that the Togolese state is helping to find a solution to the issue of their arrest.

Relations between France and Burkina Faso have been tensed since Captain Ibrahim Traore came to power through a military coup in September 2022, the second in 8 months in this West African country.

Burkina Faso previously denounced the military agreement signed between the two countries in 1961, and called on France to withdraw its forces from the country, while the French ambassador to Ouagadougou, who had been summoned for consultations after the military coup, hasn’t yet been replaced.