Link to article: https://www.reuters.com/world/french-foreign-minister-we-support-our-ambassador-burkina-faso-2023-01-05/
Anti-French sentiment has been rising in Burkina Faso, likely due to Russian mercenaries. This has caused discontent in the region towards the French envoy. The capital city government in Burkina Faso (Ouagadougou) sent a letter requesting that France remove the envoy in December. Regardless, France continues to support their ambassador. The article gives context, explaining that Burkina is a former French colony located in West Africa. Repeated military coups and the presence of the French military in recent years have weakened the relationship between the two countries. An Islamist insurgency from neighboring country Mali has led to protests of the French military under the belief that they haven’t done enough to combat the insurgency. France has withdrawn troops from Mali after Burkina Faso signed a deal allowing Russian veterans to enter the country last year. The Russian veteran group has also accused western associations like the CIA and UN of committing a lot of the crimes they themselves have been accused of committing in West Africa.
The information that France officials are going off of is usually assumptions or speculations regarding the behavior of Burkina Faso’s government, and it highlights the covert nature of international relations that’s evident in the “he said she said” reports. It’s proven to be very difficult for France to verify whether or not Burkina Faso has contacted Russia, let alone the rumors flying around that Ouagadougou hired the same veteran troop that was deployed in Mali. Overall, I don’t think that these events will have much impact on the world stage. Countries in Western Africa like Burkina Faso are too underdeveloped to really cause much of a disruption, and have little geopolitical importance. However, the Russian involvement may be an allusion to the bigger conflict between Russia and the west. France’s outreach of action overseas is a symbol of power (that they have enough resources and economic power to do so). If Russia is now extending the same efforts, specifically in former French territories, it could be an attempt to appear more influential/powerful than they really are, especially when considering the war they are losing.
In class we’ve discussed offshore balancing as a realist theory that allows countries to ally with the hegemony of a region in order to safely pull their troops out while maintaining a presence. France is extending resources through troops and diplomacy that may be unnecessary.