Dozens gathered in the Burkinabe capital, Ouagadougou, today, Saturday, to protest against France's presence in Burkina Faso, and called for a major movement on August 12.
The rally took place in front of the memorial erected in memory of Thomas Sankara, the former "progressive" president of Burkina Faso who was assassinated during the 1987 coup led by Blaise Compaore, who is close to France, and who was overthrown by a popular uprising in 2014.
The demonstrators carried banners reading "France, the godmother of terrorism, get out," "We are all for the liberation of Burkina Faso," "France is imperialist, tyrant, parasitic, get out," and "No, to cooperation agreements with France."
"We condemn the economic partnership agreements and the establishment of detachments and military bases on the African continent," said Monique Yili Cam, head of a new coalition of anti-French organizations. "We demand the departure of the Campoisene military base (northwest of Ouagadougou), the termination of the technical assistance agreement and cooperation agreements with France."
She stressed that France "sticks firmly to its former African colonial empire, plunders it and exploits its resources as it wants, igniting hotbeds of terrorism and fueling wars and genocide."
"We are a new generation who are aware of our history and are determined to assume and deserve our independence through more freedom and truth," said Siuba Kendo, a member of the coalition.
The coalition called for nationwide demonstrations on August 12 to demand "an end to French politics in all its forms and the departure of the French ambassador."
France, the former colonial power in Burkina Faso, has a military base in Ouagadougou and its air force regularly intervenes from neighboring Niger to support the Burkina Faso army's operations against armed Islamist groups.
In Burkina Faso, the military seized power last January, pledging to make the fight against armed Islamist movements a top priority.
The country, like many neighboring countries, suffers from the violence of armed movements affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, which has caused the deaths of thousands of people since 2015 and the displacement of about two million people.