Ouagadougou: Following the example of neighboring Mali, whose country is also led by a coup leader, Burkina Faso's junta government late Saturday ordered hundreds of French soldiers to leave the West African country within a month.

The announcement was made by national broadcaster RTB, citing the official Agence d'Information du Burkina. According to the news agency, the decision to end France's military presence on Burkinabe soil was taken on Wednesday.

Last week, protesters gathered in the streets of Ouagadougou, the country's capital, to demand the resignation of the French ambassador and the closure of a French military installation north of the city. According to FRANCE 24, there are currently 400 French special forces soldiers stationed there.

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The decision came five months after France ended its nine-year war with regional forces in Mali before the regime in Burkina Faso abandoned the country. These are now mainly located in Niger and Chad.

Despite the fact that there are far fewer French troops in Burkina Faso than in Mali (400 special forces as opposed to more than 2,400 troops), Saturday's announcement raised concerns that Islamic extremists are taking advantage of the country's political unrest to further are picking up His influence Analysts have questioned the ability of the national armies of Burkina Faso and Mali to fill the void.

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More than 60 years after Burkina Faso's independence, French remains the official language of Burkina Faso, and France has maintained close economic and humanitarian ties with its former colony. However, as the insurgency by Islamic extremists became more intense, anti-French sentiment grew due to continued violence.

Anti-French protesters began urging the junta to strengthen ties with Russia after the country's second coup led by junior military officer Ibrahim Traoré last year.

Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group, who have been accused of widespread human rights violations there and elsewhere, have already been hired by Mali. Those who had grown impatient with France were relieved to hear Saturday's announcement.

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According to well-known civil society activist and reggae singer Pasmade Sawadogo, "Despite their heavy equipment on Burkinabe soil and their power on the intelligence level, they could not help us defeat terrorism." So the time had come to get rid of them, which the transitional government is doing with great audacity.