A French exit

Betty Henderson

FRANCE has committed to withdrawing its troops from Burkina Faso after military leaders demanded them to leave. The French Foreign Ministry released a statement on Wednesday, January 25 that a previous military deal from 2018 had expired and it would withdraw troops within one month.

France currently has between 200 and 400 special forces troops in the Western African nation and its former colony, Burkina Faso. The Sahel region of Western Africa is seeing an increase in violence from armed groups and Burkina Faso wants to reduce the presence of militia groups in its country.

Armed groups linked with al­Qaeda and ISIS began a military offensive in 2015, sending fighters into already poverty­stricken Burkina Faso from neighbouring Mali. But now, the country’s government said that it wants to defend itself against armed groups on its territory and does not require assistance from France. The French presence in Burkina Faso has long been the subject of protests in Burkina Faso as the French troops have not taken any decisive action to defend against the violence. French troops could be moved to another part of Africa, such as Niger.

Tickets for the opening ceremony cost just €5 with all proceeds going to the base ski training programme of the Andorran Ski Federation (FAE).

VIP tickets are also available for those who want the pleasure of enjoying the event along with catering with these costing around €200.

For avid skiers there are also VIP tickets available to watch the events from the slopes and on your skies, these tickets costing around €300.

Five per cent of the proceeds will go to ‘Hi arribarem!’, and Special Olympics Andorra.

The competition will give spectators the chance to see the best in the world, close up and within driving distance of towns in and around Spain and central Europe.

UKRAINIAN officials have issued a statement suggesting that the country could boycott the Olympics in Paris in 2024 if Russian and Belarusian athletes are allowed to participate.

The Ukrainian Minister for Sport, Vadim Guttsait made the comments on Friday, January 27 after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that they would “explore a pathway” for athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete in the global sporting event as neutral athletes, in spite of their countries’ actions.

Guttsait made his country’s position clear in a Facebook post writing that while there is a “war in Ukraine, Russian and Belarusian athletes should not be allowed in international competitions.” He added “If we are not listened to, I do not rule out the possibility that we will refuse and boycott participating in the Olympics.”

Belarus is one of Russia’s biggest allies and has supported the country in the invasion of Ukraine, crucially hosting troops and weapons on Belarusian land.

The inclusion of athletes in international competitions is a contentious point with the IOC’s official line being “No athlete should be prevented from competing just because of their passport.”

AUTHORITIES in Austria have said they found six British ­ born children all under the age of five living in an abandoned wine cellar.