BURKINA FASO | BREAKUP | FRANCE

The ochre, weather-worn walls, and tree-lined canal give a sense of tranquility to the University of Ouagadougou, the highest institute of learning in crisis-stricken Burkina Faso.

It was here, in the university's Khadafi lecture theater, that in November 2017, French President Emmanuel Macron met hundreds of students, impressing many with his call for Burkina Faso and its former colonizer to turn the page on their often-fractious past.

Today, Macron's ringing appeal seems to be a footnote of history -- and many Burkinabe are divided about where their future with France should lie.

Senior officers from Burkinabe and French forces in the country hold a flag-lowering ceremony to mark the end of operations by the French army in Burkina Faso at Camp Bila Zagré in Kamboincin, on the outskirts of the capital Ouagadougou on Feb. 18, 2023.

Wracked by an Islamist insurgency that has sparked two military coups, Burkina Faso has broken up with France, forcing out its ambassador and prompting it to end its 15-year-long military support.

Time-honored accusations of France's complicity with African dictators and its "post-colonialist" exploitation of the continent are flying again.

Last weekend, the tricolor was discreetly lowered at a base near the capital, Ouagadougou, where around 400 French special forces had been deployed to support Burkina Faso's beleaguered army in its fight with the jihadists.

Their departure follows France's exit from Mali, where it faced mounting hostility from the junta after opposing its decision to bring in Russian paramilitaries.

"What was impossible became possible," is the triumphant verdict of Lassane Sawadogo, head of the Front for the Defense of the Fatherland (FDS), a pro-junta movement that regularly stages rallies where Russian flags are prominent.

"I urge the French people to understand that we don't have problems with them; we don't even hate President Emmanuel Macron," he said.

"But we do hate this system, which has been imposed on us from the past and which he is perpetuating."

'Friends, brothers'

"French leaders are talking up anti-French feelings in Africa so that they can stir up public opinion at home," said Pema Neya, who as a student leader attended Macron's historic talk.

An Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) of the French Army patrols a rural area during the Bourgou IV operation in northern Burkina Faso along the border with Mali and Niger on November 11, 2019

"That's unfair. "The French people are friends, brothers; they are very welcome here," he said.

"Many of them live here; they experience the same realities." But young people are fed up with condescending and paternalistic French policies," Neya added, saying this attitude had "nothing to do" with any support for Russia.

Burkinabe analyst Mahamoudou Sawadogo agreed, saying, "It's French policies that are being attacked, not French people." "France's attitude of accepting this may help calm things down."

Oumarou Paul Koalaga, a specialist in international relations, said there remained a groundswell of attachment to France as a trade partner, provider of aid, and source of cultural support.

"There's a silent majority who may not have the possibility to express themselves," he said.

"When you look at social networks and the media, there's a clash of ideas." Not everyone agrees with the idea of a complete and abrupt break with France. Unfortunately, these aren't the people you hear.

'Ill at ease'

A leading figure in Burkina Faso's civil society movement also said he was worried about the pro-junta and pro-Russian clamor.

"These groups make us uneasy because they are supported by young people, the majority of whom are illiterate." If you start criticizing them, they accuse you of being pro-French.

In the past week, scores of members of the security forces have been killed in the deeply troubled north.

The bloodbath has prompted pro-Russian accounts on social media to suggest that foreign powers are supporting the jihadists to punish the junta for France's military exit.

Despite the pressure, Koalaga said the junta's hostility towards France was likely to be limited.

"The regime needs the backing of a certain sector of opinion, but in reality, it doesn't want to go further," he said. "Cooperation (with France) will continue."