Burkina Faso frees four French nationals after Moroccan mediation

Morocco has mediated the release of four French nationals held for a year in detention in Burkina Faso, the Moroccan foreign ministry said on Thursday.

The French nationals were let go following a request from King Mohammed VI to Burkina Faso's military leader Ibrahim Traore, the ministry said in a statement.

This "human act" shows the excellent ties between Morocco and Burkina Faso, it said.

The four French nationals were civil servants who came to the West African country to carry out IT maintenance for the French embassy, but were detained on Dec. 1, 2023 and transferred to Ouagadougou prison, Reuters reported last year.

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

France, in retreat in the Sahel, this month started a troop withdrawal from Chad after pulling its soldiers out of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger following military coups in those West African countries amid spreading anti-French sentiment.

Rabat and Paris have had stronger political and economic ties since France backed Morocco’s stance on the Western Sahara conflict in July.