Burkina Faso ends ties with French troops, orders departure

By ARSENE KABORE
Associated Press

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — Burkina Faso’s junta government is ending military ties with France and giving several hundred French troops a month to leave the West Africa country. The move announced late Saturday comes five months after France withdrew more than 2,400 soldiers from neighboring Mali following a falling out with the coup leader in charge there. The departure of French special forces from Burkina Faso leaves Niger and Chad as France’s main partners in the Sahel region of Africa. Observers have questioned whether the national militaries of Burkina Faso and Mali are capable of filling in the void. Anti-French sentiment has risen since Burkina Faso’s second coup last year, with many protesters calling instead for closer ties with Russia.