Following the mediation of His Majesty the King, Mohammed the sixth of Morocco, His Excellency Mr Ibrahim Traoré, President of the Republic of Burkina Faso, has responded favorably to His request for the release of four French nationals, held in Ouagadougou since December 2023, says the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Residing Abroad.
This humanitarian act was made possible by the excellent relations between His Majesty the King and President Traoré, and the long-standing good relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Burkina Faso, the ministry said in a statement.
President Emmanuel Macron “spoke on the phone with His Majesty King Mohammed VI on Wednesday, to thank him warmly for the successful mediation that made possible the release of our four compatriots held for a year in Burkina Faso”, the Elysée reacted.
The four men had been arrested in the capital of Burkina Faso on December 1, 2023, and were presented by the authorities as agents of the French Foreign Intelligence Service (DGSE).
At the time, a French diplomatic source indicated that the four civil servants in question held diplomatic passports and visas, but rejected “accusations that these technicians had been sent to Burkina Faso for reasons other than their computer maintenance work”. Since then, the French authorities have remained discreet about the fate of the four Frenchmen.
Relations between France and Burkina Faso have deteriorated considerably since Ibrahim Traoré came to power in September 2022. The French embassy has been run by a chargé d’affaires since the Burkinabe authorities secured the departure of ambassador Luc Hallade.
Ouagadougou denounced a 1961 military agreement with France in March 2023, after securing the withdrawal of French forces.
Burkina has since formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) with Mali and Niger, which have also expelled the French army from their soil. They are cooperating to contain recurring attacks by jihadist groups, while at the same time forging closer ties with other powers such as Russia.
The success of the Moroccan king’s mediation comes at a time when Paris and Rabat have sealed their reconciliation, embodied by a state visit to Morocco by the French president at the end of October, after three years of acute crisis.
On July 30, France expressed its strong support for the Moroccan autonomy plan, considering it to be “the only basis” for resolving the nearly fifty-year conflict.
During his visit, Emmanuel Macron proposed that the Sovereign sign a new strategic partnership in Paris in 2025, to mark the 70th anniversary of the Declaration that sealed Morocco’s independence from France.
