Burkina Faso has recently expelled three French diplomats for what they claim to be “subversive activities”, escalating tensions between the African nation and its former colonial ruler. The diplomats, Gwenaelle Habouzit, Herve Fournier, and Guillaume Reisacher, were given 48 hours to leave the country, according to a foreign ministry note dated Tuesday.

Since the coup led by Captain Ibrahim Traore in September 2022, Burkina Faso has been moving away from France, its former colonial power. The French ambassador was withdrawn, a military accord from 1961 was cancelled, French troops were ordered to leave, and Burkina Faso has turned to Russia for security support. Additionally, several French media outlets have been banned, and Russia has agreed to build a nuclear power station in the country.

In December 2022, four French officials were arrested, charged, and imprisoned in Ouagadougou, with Burkinabe authorities claiming they were intelligence agents and the French source stating they were IT support staff. The officials are currently under house arrest.

The expulsion of French nationals for alleged espionage is not an isolated incident, as France has also ended anti-jihadist military missions in Mali and Burkina Faso, and has begun withdrawing forces from Niger. These countries have all experienced jihadist attacks linked to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State, with Burkina Faso alone seeing around 20,000 deaths and two million displaced since 2015.

In response to these challenges, the three military regimes in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger formed the Alliance of Sahel States in September, with a focus on combating terrorism in the region. This alliance has also announced its withdrawal from the West African bloc Ecowas, signaling a shift in regional dynamics.