HERU

(GIN) — French flags were set ablaze in the streets of Ouagadougou as hundreds of citizens of the West African nation of Burkina Faso gathered in the capital city over the weekend. Many carried placards with the message: “French army, get out!”

Anti-French sentiment has been soaring here, fed by the failure of the French military in the region to protect citizens from jihadist attacks as outlined in a bilateral accord.

Burkina Faso, a landlocked country famously known for leading in African art culture and hosting the largest craft market in Africa, has been overrun by extremist groups loosely affiliated with al-Qaida and the Islamic State that have spread in recent years from neighboring Mali and Guinea, where they made incursions about a decade ago.

Last week, the Burkinabe government ripped up the five-year-old accord that governed the presence of French armed forces on African territory. The French soldiers were given a month to fully pull out and close the French base. 

Mohamed Sinon, one of the main leaders of the protestors, said they supported Burkina’s junta Capt. Ibrahim Traoré and the security forces, including the Wagner Group of Russian fighters who have been fighting jihadists in the arid areas of the North.

“We want cooperation between Burkina Faso and Russia, but also the strengthening of friendship and of cooperation with Guinea and Mali,” Sinon said.