Four French nationals detained in Ouagadougou released thanks to Moroccan King’s mediation

Thanks to a successful mediation by King Mohammed VI, four French officials accused of espionage and detained since December 1, 2023, in Burkina Faso have been freed. French President Emmanuel Macron “spoke over the phone on Wednesday, December 18, with King Mohammed VI to warmly thank him” for the success of his mediation, said the Elysée in a communiqué.

President of Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Traoré, has responded favorably to the Monarch’s mediation and request for the release of the four French nationals detained in Ouagadougou since December 2023, the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release.

This humanitarian act was possible thanks to the excellent ties between King Mohammed VI and President Traoré and the long-standing good ties between Morocco and Burkina Faso, the Ministry underlined.

This mediation by the King of Morocco comes as Paris and Rabat have sealed their reconciliation, materialized by President macron’s state visit to Rabat at the end of October.

On July 30, France paved the way for a bilateral thaw by offering enhanced support for Morocco’s autonomy plan for the Sahara, considering the plan as “the only basis” for resolving the nearly fifty-year-old conflict between Morocco and the Algeria-back Polisario separatist Front.