Burkina Faso announced on Friday evening that it has severed diplomatic relations with France with immediate effect, citing a lack of conditions for a relationship built on mutual respect, trust and non-interference, while France denounced the decision as "hostile and baseless."
The decision followed "a thorough assessment of the current state of bilateral relations between Burkina Faso and France," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement. The government said "the conditions essential for promoting relations based on mutual respect, reciprocal trust, respect for the principle of non-interference in internal affairs and national sovereignty are no longer in place."
Burkina Faso said the decision reflects "the choice of responsibility and sovereignty," stressing that it "does not in any way call into question the historical, human, cultural and social ties between the Burkinabe and French peoples" and "concerns exclusively the institutional framework of diplomatic relations between the two states."
The government reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring the protection of foreign nationals on its territory and called on citizens to show "responsibility, restraint and civic-mindedness" toward French nationals and all other expatriates living in Burkina Faso.
The statement also reaffirmed the government's determination to pursue an independent foreign policy based on diversified partnerships, strengthened South-South cooperation and balanced relations with all countries, as well as the promotion of peace, security and sustainable development.
France denounced the move as "hostile and baseless," with the French Foreign Ministry saying in a statement that the decision "illustrated the troubling drift of the Burkinabe authorities" and that Paris was considering necessary reciprocal measures, AFP reported.
Burkina Faso cuts diplomatic ties with France
Rescuers and local residents in the town of Moron, in Venezuela's Carabobo state, successfully extricated a young girl from the rubble of her collapsed home after powerful twin earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday.
A pair of devastating earthquakes, both exceeding magnitude 7, rocked Venezuela, causing heavy casualties and widespread destruction.
After the quakes, the young girl and her mother were trapped under rubble. The mother died at the scene, but nearby residents heard the girl’s cries for help.
Local neighbors rushed to the site immediately and, together with firefighters who arrived shortly after, managed to carve out a rescue passage through the debris, ultimately pulling the girl to safety.
According to the victim's husband, the collapsed house was the family's home. When the earthquakes struck, he was away at work, leaving his wife and their sick daughter at home alone. Now, with the house uninhabitable and his wife gone, the full burden of caring for their daughter has fallen on his shoulders. He hoped for support so that normal life can resume as soon as possible.
"When I got home, I saw that the house had completely collapsed. I was utterly devastated. I immediately asked about my family -- about my daughter and my wife. I could hear my daughter calling out to me: 'Dad! Dad! Dad!' But her mother never responded -- not a single word," said Orlando, the victim's husband. "Everyone found the little girl by following her cries for help. She had been shouting from under the rubble the whole time. When the neighbors heard her, they -- along with, I think, some firefighters and some police officers -- worked together to forcefully break through the concrete slabs that were pinning her down, and we eventually found her. Unfortunately, her mother had already passed away, but the little girl was successfully rescued," said Antonio, a neighbor who participated in the rescue.
Young girl pulled from collapsed structure after devastating earthquake doublet rocks Venezuela
