Morocco has brokered the release of four French citizens detained for a year in Burkina Faso, the Moroccan Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.
The French citizens were released following a request from King Mohammed VI to Burkina Faso’s military leader Ibrahim Traore, the ministry said in a statement.
This “human act” demonstrates the excellent ties between Morocco and Burkina Faso, he said.
The four French citizens were civil servants who traveled to the West African country to carry out IT maintenance for the French embassy, but were arrested on December 1, 2023 and transferred to Ouagadougou prison, Reuters reported last year year.
Morocco maintains good ties with Burkina Faso and other militarily governed Sahel states, promising them access to global trade across the Atlantic.
France, retreating in the Sahel, began withdrawing troops from Chad this month, after withdrawing its soldiers from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, following military coups in these West African countries and the spread of anti-French sentiment.
Rabat and Paris have strengthened political and economic ties since France supported Morocco’s position on the Western Sahara conflict in July.
