Two European Union diplomats stationed in Ouagadougou have been declared persona non grata by Burkinabe authorities. The decision targets the EU delegation’s deputy head of mission for press and information, along with the EU delegation’s program manager.
The two officials have been given 72 hours to leave Burkina Faso from the date of notification. No official reasons for the expulsion have been disclosed by the authorities.
This decision follows the summoning of the EU ambassador and head of delegation to Burkina Faso, Daniel Aristi Gaztelumendi, by the country’s foreign minister, Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré, on June 22.
The Burkinabe government had protested against a European Parliament resolution it deemed “hostile” and an “interference in the country’s internal affairs.”
The expulsion of these diplomats marks another chapter in the deteriorating relations between Burkina Faso and the European Union.
Just days earlier, on June 26, Burkina Faso announced the severance of diplomatic ties with France, deepening the diplomatic isolation of the West African nation.
