The French Embassy in Burkina Faso has announced the temporary closure of its Consulate General in Ouagadougou, citing staff shortages.
According to a statement published on the embassy’s website, consular services for French nationals will be suspended from July 25 to August 5, 2025, while visa services will be halted from August 1 to 11. No further details were provided regarding the exact reasons for the closure.
Burkinabe media, quoting informed sources, attributed the shutdown to a lack of personnel within the consulate’s administration.
This move comes amid ongoing diplomatic tensions between Burkina Faso and France, fueled by rising anti-French sentiment across parts of Africa.
It is worth noting that the French Embassy had previously suspended some of its operations in October 2022 following acts of vandalism targeting its diplomatic premises during protests in support of the military coup that ousted transitional president Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba.
Since then, Burkina Faso has been grappling with a persistent security crisis dating back to 2015, with authorities pledging to diversify their military partnerships in the fight against terrorism.
