Four French nationals who had been held in Burkina Faso for a year have been released, thanks to mediation efforts led by Morocco, both France and Morocco announced on Thursday.
The detainees had been held in Ouagadougou since December 2023, and their release resolves a yearlong diplomatic dispute between the two countries.
In a statement, France’s Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu identified the detainees as members of the French armed forces. Their detention had sparked controversy, with the head of France's foreign intelligence agency (DGSE) previously labeling them as spies in an interview to a French media outlet.
The French presidency revealed that President Emmanuel Macron personally thanked Morocco’s King Mohammed VI for his crucial role in the mediation process.
"This humanitarian act was possible thanks to the excellent ties between His Majesty the King, may God assist Him, and President Traore and the long-standing good ties between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Burkina Faso," said Morocco’s foreign ministry.
France rejected the charges when four of its nationals were arrested last December, stating that they had come to Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, at the request of the French diplomatic mission to perform technical work.