Burkina Faso's ruling military council has ended diplomatic relations with France, charging Paris with ongoing interference that harms national priorities.

Ties between Burkina Faso and its ex-colonial power deteriorated after Captain Ibrahim Traore took control via a 2022 coup and adopted strongly anti-Western stances.

During a Friday broadcast, Communications Minister Pingdwendé Gilbert Ouédraogo labeled France's actions as nonstop interference and charged it with neo-colonial goals.

France's foreign ministry labeled the move hostile and baseless, claiming it showed the Burkinabe authorities' worrying direction.

Paris also advised its citizens in the country to remain extra alert.

Like neighboring Mali, Burkina Faso has fought an Islamist rebellion for more than ten years, at times with French troops in the area.

Captain Traoré quickly removed French forces after assuming power. His administration has charged France with hidden motives and shifted focus to China and Russia.

The newest statement from Burkina Faso notes that mutual respect is absent. It claims France backs disruptive groups and seeks to sideline the country globally.

It clarifies that the break affects only official channels and leaves untouched the deep historical, human, cultural and social bonds between the two peoples.

The council promised democratic restoration in 2024 yet broke that pledge and banned political parties in January.

In January 2025 Burkina Faso joined Mali and Niger in leaving the West African regional body Ecowas to create the Alliance of the Sahel States.

France has lacked an ambassador in Burkina Faso since January 2023.

During 2024 the nation expelled three French diplomats over alleged subversive acts, which France rejected.