The French nationals had been held in Ouagadougou since December 2023.
An agreement between Morocco and France on Thursday facilitated the release of four French nationals who had been detained in Burkina Faso for a year, ending a diplomatic standoff over their imprisonment through Moroccan mediation.
France’s foreign intelligence agency DGSE had previously identified them as spies.
The French military, which oversees the DGSE, and the DGSE itself declined to comment on the matter.
The individuals had been held in Ouagadougou since December 2023.
In a statement, the French presidency said President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday thanked King Mohammed VI of Morocco for his mediation, which “enabled the release of four of our citizens detained in Burkina Faso for a year.”
‘A humanitarian act’
Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs praised both King Mohammed VI and Burkina Faso’s President Ibrahim Traoré, describing the release as “a humanitarian act” made possible by the strong relations between the two countries.
The development comes after three years of strained relations between Paris and Rabat over migration issues and the disputed territory of Western Sahara. France has recently sought to reconcile with Morocco, a former protectorate, making overtures since October.
Morocco maintains strong ties with Burkina Faso and other Sahel countries governed by military regimes, offering them access to global trade routes via the Atlantic.
Meanwhile, France’s relationship with its former colonies in West and Central Africa, including Burkina Faso, remains tense.
Ouagadougou expelled French soldiers and diplomats, ordered France’s defense attaché and ambassador to leave, and suspended operations of several French media outlets.
