Burkina Faso: Appointment of a new French ambassador to Ouagadougou. Authorities reject the decision
Burkinabe authorities disapprove of the newly appointed French ambassador to represent Paris in Ouagadougou. Given the current regional context marked by the crisis in Niger, the news remained confidential. It was the French media outlet “Le Monde” that recently revealed the information in its publications.
According to the newspaper, the regime in Ouagadougou has firmly rejected the designation of Mohamed Bouabdallah as the representative of France in Burkina Faso.
This rejection of the new French diplomat by Burkina Faso once again underscores the deterioration of diplomatic relations between the African country and its former colonizer.
The decision by the junta in power in Ouagadougou is likely to further worsen the situation, even though formal relations between the two states are not completely severed, according to some analysts.
Diplomat Mohamed Bouabdallah, the new appointed French ambassador had been anticipated to replace Luc Hallade since the spring.
Luc Hallade was declared persona non grata by Burkinabe leaders in December 2022 and was recalled by Paris on Thursday, January 26, for “consultations.”
This decision was made following a cabinet meeting held in Paris in March 2023, during which Emmanuel Macron approved a series of ambassadorial appointments across the African continent.
Mohamed Bouabdallah, 45 years old, is the Deputy Director of Political Affairs at the Quai d’Orsay.
He had previously served as the Cultural Counselor and Director of the French Institute in Egypt. He was awaiting approval from Burkina Faso’s leaders to move to Ouagadougou, his first post as ambassador.
Olivier TOE
Read also: The Nigerien junta recalls the Nigerien ambassador following Alassane Ouattara’s tactless comments
