Burkina Faso Severs Diplomatic Relations with France Effective Immediately

Burkina Faso severed diplomatic relations with France on June 26, 2026, with the break taking effect immediately. The military government's announcement, read on national television, accused France of blatant neo-colonial ambitions and active support for subversive networks and terrorists.

Communications Minister Pingdwende Gilbert Ouedraogo stated that the conditions essential for fostering relations based on mutual respect, reciprocal trust, and respect for the principle of non-interference in internal affairs and national sovereignty are no longer met.

The government specified that the decision concerned only the institutional framework between the two states and did not affect historical, cultural, or social ties between the Burkinabe and French peoples. French Foreign Ministry spokesman Pascal Confavreux described the decision as hostile and unfounded.

He said it illustrates the worrying drift of the Burkinabe authorities and that necessary reciprocal measures are currently under review.

France is monitoring the safety of its government personnel and citizens in Burkina Faso and urged them to exercise heightened vigilance. Burkina Faso gained independence from France on August 5, 1960. The military regime has held power since a September 2022 coup.

France was Burkina Faso's major security partner until that coup. In 2023 the junta asked France to recall its ambassador, and in 2024 it expelled three French diplomats for alleged subversive activities. The West African country of 23 million people has faced years of violence from extremist groups linked to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, as well as government forces often accused of extrajudicial killings.

Between January 2023 and August 2025, government forces were blamed for at least 1,200 of 1,837 civilian killings, according to Human Rights Watch.