Burkina Faso protesters call on France to withdraw troops

 Hundreds gathered in central Ouagadougou on Friday, chanting anti-France slogans and wielding placards calling on the French army to "get out", Reuters reported.

Some set fire to French flags or used them to collect rubbish.

"We want... to show France that we no longer need her," said protester Adama Sawadogo.

Relations between Burkina Faso and its former colonizer have soured following two military coups last year spurred partly by authorities' failure to protect civilians from terrorists' activity in the arid north.

Some of the tension revolves around perceptions that France's military presence in Burkina Faso has not improved security.

MNA/PR