Burkina Faso - First anniversary of Ibrahim Traoré's accession to power

Definitive break with France The transitional authorities in Burkina Faso have announced the definitive end of their military cooperation with France. This decision comes after several diplomatic stand-offs, notably the departure of French special forces from the Sabre unit and the termination of defense and military assistance agreements between the two countries. The Burkina Faso Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a note to the Quai d'Orsay on September 14, explaining that the Burkina Faso government was withdrawing the accreditation of Mr. Emmanuel Pasquier, French Defense Attaché in Burkina Faso, for activities described as "subversive", without further details. The document states that Emmanuel Pasquier and the staff of the French military office have two weeks to leave Burkina Faso. At the same time, Burkina Faso also decided to close its military mission in Paris, occupied for six years by Colonel Major Tuandaba Coulibaly, former Chief of Staff of the Burkina Faso Gendarmerie. Conclusion of a defensive military alliance with Mali and Niger against terrorism... and ECOWAS? Since coming to power following a coup d'état around a year ago, Captain Ibrahim Traoré has demonstrated his willingness to break with France, particularly in the fight against terrorism, and has sought to diversify Burkina Faso's partnerships, notably by drawing closer to the Malian and Guinean militaries, as well as Vladimir Putin's Russia, with whom he held talks at the last Russia-Africa summit in July 2023. The juntas of Mali and Burkina Faso subsequently expressed their solidarity with the Niger putschists, who were caught up in a standoff with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which is demanding the reinstatement of deposed president Mohamed Bazoum. In a joint communiqué, they had indicated that any military intervention by ECOWAS against the CNSP would be perceived as an aggression against them. The Malian and Burkinabe authorities also spoke of a possible withdrawal from ECOWAS in the event of any intervention by this organization against the CNSP putschists. In response to the threat of military intervention against Niger, the transitional authorities in Burkina Faso recently approved a bill authorizing the dispatch of a military contingent to Niger, pending approval by the transitional legislative assembly. On September 15, Burkina, Mali and Niger formalized their rapprochement by setting up the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) to establish, according to article 1 of its charter, "an architecture of collective defense and mutual assistance" between these three states. The main aim of the Alliance is to coordinate the efforts of the three countries in the military and economic fields, and in the fight against terrorist groups, whose attacks on these countries have intensified since the military came to power. Alternatively, the ESA commits its signatories to providing mutual assistance, including armed force, in the event of a violation of their sovereignty or territorial integrity. As a result, this mutual defense pact now obliges Burkina Faso to fight alongside the Niger putschists, should ECOWAS implement its threat to re-establish constitutional order in Niger by force.