Burkina Faso’s military leader, Captain Ibrahim Traore, has accused France of attempting to destabilise his country.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Traore claimed that his government uncovered France’s complicity in a plot to undermine his administration.

“We have proof that France is working to destabilize our country, they are working in collaboration with Benin and Ivory Coast to achieve this goal.

“We have nothing against the Ivorian people. But we do have something against those who run Ivory Coast. We say it and we’ll say it again. There is indeed a center of operations in Abidjan to destabilize our country,” Traore stated.

He went on to allege that there are two French military bases in Benin, which are directed against Burkina Faso.

“Nobody will come and tell us that in Benin, there are no French bases directed against us; we have the evidence at hand. We will not tolerate this interference in our internal affairs,” he warned.

Traore also alleged that he has “audio recordings of French agents in Benin, who play at the terrorists’ centers of operations” and “set up operations with them, and help them to look after themselves.”

The statement added that France has five bases in Africa: Chad, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Gabon, and Djibouti.

France has denied the allegations, stating, “The only permanent military personnel are the defense attaché and the cooperants seconded to the Europe and Foreign Affairs Ministry.”

This comes amid ongoing political unrest in Burkina Faso, which has seen widespread protests and a military coup earlier this year.

After taking power, the military broke military and bilateral agreements with France, accusing it of not only having failed in its efforts to combat terrorism but also of wanting to destabilize the country.

Traore seized power on September 30, 2022, from the then Interim President, Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, over the latter’s alleged inability to deal with the country’s Islamist insurgency.