According to the Élysée, Emmanuel Macron spoke with the King of Morocco to thank him “for the success of the mediation which made possible the release of our four compatriots held for a year in Burkina Faso”.
Four French officials accused of espionage and detained for a year in Burkina Faso have been released, AFP learned Thursday from the General Directorate of French Foreign Intelligence (DGSE), which confirmed information from the Moroccan press.
President Emmanuel Macron “spoke yesterday, Wednesday December 18, 2024, on the telephone with His Majesty King Mohammed VI, King of Morocco, in order to warmly thank him for the success of the mediation which made possible the release of our four compatriots detained for a year in Burkina Faso”reacted the Élysée.
Strained relationships
The four men were arrested in the Burkinabe capital on December 1, 2023 and presented by the authorities as agents of the DGSE. A French diplomatic source then indicated that these were four officials, holders of diplomatic passports and visas, but she rejected “the accusations according to which these technicians were sent to Burkina Faso for reasons other than their computer maintenance work”.
Since then, the French authorities have remained discreet about the fate of these four French people. Relations between France and Burkina have deteriorated considerably since Captain Ibrahim Traoré came to power in September 2022 through a coup – the second in eight months.
The French embassy has only been managed by a charge d’affaires since the Burkinabè authorities obtained the departure of ambassador Luc Hallade. In April, two embassy political advisers were declared “persona non grata” pour “subversive activities” and asked to leave the country.
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