Burkina Faso's military leader Captain Ibrahim Traore on Thursday said he has evidence of destabilisation orchestrated against his country by France, and supported by Benin and Côte d'Ivoire.
"We have nothing against the people of Côte d'Ivoire. But we do have something against those who run Côte d'Ivoire. We say it and we'll say it again. There is indeed a centre of operations in Abidjan to destabilise our country," Traore said in an interview in Ouagadougou, the nation's capital.
The president of the West African country in transition since the September 2022 coup said he had a problem with the policies of the leaders of Benin and Côte d'Ivoire.
"Nobody will come and tell us that in Benin, there are no French bases directed against us; we have the evidence at hand," said Traore.
'Have proof'
He said evidence will be revealed that Benin is home to two French bases, directed against Burkina Faso. "We have proof. Tracks have been laid, soldiers are equipped," he stressed.
After taking power, the military broke military and bilateral agreements with France, accusing it of not only having failed in its efforts to combat terrorism, but also of wanting to destabilise the country.
Traore said he has "audio recordings of French agents in Benin, who play at the terrorists' centres of operations" and "set up operations with them, and help them to look after themselves."
In a statement to Anadolu on Thursday, the French military, however, formally denied the existence of military bases in Benin. "The only permanent military personnel are the defence attaché and the cooperants seconded to the Europe and Foreign Affairs Ministry," it said.
Five bases
The statement said France has five bases in Africa: Chad, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon and Djibouti.
Occasionally, temporary and short-term operational training detachments are deployed to support the Beninese armed forces, at their request, it added.
France also denied similar allegations in May.
Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, all in transition after military coups, have formed an alliance within which anti-French sentiment is growing, and diplomatic relations with France are virtually non-existent.
The people of these countries also nurture this view, which they have repeatedly asserted in large-scale demonstrations, calling on France to leave.
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