French troop operations in Burkina Faso are officially over
The marine commandos are part of the French special forces engaged as part of the "Sabre" Force in the Sahel.
RFI/Olivier Fourt
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
The French Saber task force leaves Burkinabe soil.
A ceremony to hand over the Burkinabè flag was organized on Saturday February 18 at the Kamboinsin military camp, where the French special forces were stationed, as part of the fight against terrorism in the Sahel.
This ceremony follows the denunciation, last month by the Burkinabè transition government, of the 2018 agreement governing the stationing of French special forces in Burkina Faso.
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On the images released by the General Staff of the Burkinabè armies, we can see Lieutenant-Colonel Louis Lecacheur, of
the Saber task force
, handing the Burkinabè flag to Colonel Adam Néré, Chief of Staff of the army earthen.
This ceremony of lowering the Burkinabè and French flags marks
the official end of the Sahelian operations of the special forces from Burkina Faso
.
For several weeks, a jumbo jet, Antonov 124, has been seen at Ouagadougou airport, carrying many containers.
“
Most of the equipment has already left the country
,” attests an expert in security issues.
According to a Western diplomatic source, a large part of Saber's personnel has already left the territory.
The logisticians are still on site, responsible for ensuring the evacuation of the remaining equipment.
In a press release, the military authorities of Burkina Faso specify that "
the disengagement of equipment will be finalized according to a timetable defined in agreement with the General Staff of the Burkinabè armies
".
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Burkina Faso
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sahel