Burkina Faso releases four French nationals after detaining them for a year

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — Four French nationals detained for more than a year in Burkina Faso were released this week after negotiations between the two countries and Morocco. France’s Elysee Palace said in a statement on Thursday that President Emmanuel Macron had thanked Morocco’s King Mohamed VI for mediating discussions that led to their release. The French defense minister said the four were members of the armed forces. Four French nationals were reported as arrested on espionage charges in December 2023 at a low point in relations between France and its former colonies in Africa’s Sahel, including Burkina Faso. The country last year expelled French forces and turned to Russia for security support.