Burkina Faso frees four French spies after Moroccan mediation

By Ahmed Eljechtimi and Michel Rose

Four French nationals held in Burkina Faso for a year have been released following mediation from Morocco, France and Morocco said on Thursday, resolving a diplomatic row over their detention.

The head of France's foreign intelligence agency, the DGSE, has previously said that they were spies. A spokesperson for the French military, which oversees the DGSE, and the DGSE did not respond to a request for comment.

They had been held in Ouagadougou since December 2023.

The French presidency said in statement that President Emmanuel Macron had on Wednesday thanked Morocco's King Mohammed for his mediation "which made possible the liberation of our four countrymen who had been held in Burkina Faso for a year".

Morocco's foreign ministry also praised King Mohammed and Burkina Faso's President Ibrahim Traore and said "this humanitarian act" was made possible due to the good relations between their countries.

Following three years of tensions between Paris and Rabat fueled by immigration issues and the disputed territory of Western Sahara, France reconciled with Morocco, one of its former protectorates, in October following a series of moves.

Morocco maintains good ties with Burkina Faso and other military-ruled Sahel states, promising them access to global trade through the Atlantic.

But France's ties with its former colonies in West and Central Africa, including Burkina Faso, remain strained. Ouagadougou has expelled French troops and diplomats, ordered France's defence attache and ambassador to leave, and suspended some French media.

Burkina Faso, run by a military junta that seized power in a coup in 2022, has drawn criticism from international rights groups for cracking down on freedom of speech and intimidating critics as it tries to contain a security crisis caused by militants tied to Al Qaeda and Islamic State.