France seeks clarification after request to withdraw its troops from Burkina Faso

By Aurore Bonny

DOUALA, Cameroon (AA) - France’s president said Sunday that he is waiting for an explanation from Burkina Faso after its military government reportedly said it wanted French troops to leave the country within a month.

"We are waiting for clarification," Macron was quoted as saying by French media at the end of a meeting of the Franco-German Council of Ministers on Sunday at the Elysee Palace.

His statement comes a day after the Burkinabe government reportedly demanded the withdrawal of French troops present in Burkina Faso in the fight against terrorism.

Macron said there is "great confusion" over the remarks reported in the media and called for “a lot of prudence.”

Relations between France and Burkina Faso have been tense, and people in the West African country have demonstrated a number of times against the French military presence, which they believe is ineffective against the terrorism that has been raging in the country since 2015.

Previously, authorities in Burkina Faso also demanded "a new interlocutor" to replace the French ambassador.

But France has decided to deal with the issue through diplomatic channels, according to French Secretary of State Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, who was in the capital Ouagadougou on Jan. 10.

"France does not impose anything. It is possible to invent a future together," she said.

Authorities in Burkina Faso have not issued a response so far to France’s request for clarification.