OUAGADOUGOU — Burkina Faso's military government moved on Sunday to consolidate its rupture with France, ordering the closure of diplomatic channels and seeking backing from its Sahel allies a day after announcing the break in relations with Paris. Government spokesmen in Ouagadougou confirmed the steps.

The decision, announced on June 26, marked one of the sharpest deteriorations in Franco-African relations since military officers seized power in Burkina Faso in 2022. Captain Ibrahim Traoré's government has repeatedly accused France of interference and of supporting destabilisation, charges the French foreign ministry has consistently denied.

Mali and Niger, Burkina Faso's partners in the Alliance of Sahel States, issued statements of solidarity, framing the rupture as part of a shared rejection of former colonial influence. The three juntas have steadily expelled French troops and diplomats while deepening security and economic ties with Russia.

The French foreign ministry in Paris said it regretted the decision and would protect its nationals and interests in the country. Analysts at the Institute for Security Studies in Dakar said the move further isolated Western powers across a region facing a worsening jihadist insurgency.

The break leaves the European Union and the United States weighing how to maintain counter-terrorism cooperation in a region where their footprint has shrunk dramatically. Regional observers warned that the diplomatic vacuum would likely be filled by Moscow.