The military government, in power since a coup in 2022, accused France of having ‘neo-colonial ambitions’.

Burkina Faso has broken off diplomatic relations with France, further widening the rift with its former colonial ruler.

“The government of Burkina Faso hereby informs the national and international community that it has decided to sever diplomatic relations with France with effect from today, June 26, 2026,” said Friday’s statement read out on national television.

The military government led by Captain Ibrahim Traore, in power since a coup in September 2022, is pursuing a policy against critical voices and Western countries, especially France.

In the TV announcement, the government accused France of persistently acting against its interests.

“The essential conditions for promoting relations based on mutual ⁠respect, reciprocal trust, respect ⁠for the principle of non-interference in internal affairs and national sovereignty are not in place,” said Communications ⁠Minister, Gilbert Ouedraogo.

He said the decision ⁠followed a review of relations with Paris. He accused France of having “neo-colonial ambitions, made evident by its active support for subversive networks and the terrorists who are plunging our country and the Sahel into mourning”.

In January, political parties in Burkina Faso were formally dissolved by the military government, which has also seized all their assets in a move analysts say is a major blow for democracy in the West African nation.

Landlocked Burkina Faso is grappling with several armed groups which have seized control of land in the country’s north, south and west. These include the al-Qaeda-backed Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP), which also operate in neighbouring Mali and Niger.

Burkina Faso’s military has been accused of committing atrocities, including the ethnic cleansing of Fulani civilians, amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity, Human Rights Watch found last April.

According to the government statement released on Friday, the decision to cut ties with France “exclusively concerns diplomatic relations between the two states” and “does not call into question the historical, human, cultural and social ties between the people of Burkina Faso and France”.

It added that French nationals in Burkina Faso will continue to be protected in accordance with the law.

Once a significant power in northern, central and western Africa, France has seen its influence shrink in recent years, especially as many of its former African colonies, particularly in the Sahel, have distanced themselves and become more closely aligned with Russia and China.

When pioneering producer and filmmaker Kirsty Bell set out to make a film about legendary American musician Eddie Cochran, she didn’t want to merely chronicle his brief career. Looking back at the musician’s work, who died while touring the U.K. in 1960, aged just 21, Bell felt she needed to “bring him back to life.” The result of that mission is “Eddie Cochran: Don’t Forget Me,” closing this year’s Raindance Film Festival.

Speaking with Variety ahead of the film’s U.K. premiere, Bell says it was her producer, Ben Charles Edwards, who first brought up Cochran’s name as a possible subject for her next film. At the time, seasoned producer Bell had just taken a major step in her career by directing her feature debut, 2021’s “A Bird Flew In.” “That film came from my brain and my heart, and I knew I wanted to link these two things again,” she says. “I wanted to go on an emotional journey, because that’s how I get my best stuff.” 

Bell, who founded Goldfinch Entertainment back in 2016, knew and loved Cochran’s music, but soon realized she knew very little about his life. “There were so many things that linked him to modern-day music,” she recalls. “I have this pad on my desk where I note down ideas and I just started scribbling thoughts around his name. Suddenly, this mind map of him appeared, linking him basically to everyone and everything that has happened in music after. That blew me away.”

Once Bell decided to tell the story of “trailblazer” Cochran, she knew she would not like to make “an ordinary documentary” just “talking to a bunch of musicians about Eddie’s songs they have covered.” “This is about legacy,” she adds, saying how she set out to work closely with executive producer Michelle Arnusch to secure a wide-spanning selection of talking heads that could reflect Cochran’s impact. One notable figure is actor Kiefer Sutherland, featured heavily in the film as a major fan of Cochran’s work. 

“We wanted to get people who were either deeply influenced by Eddie or who knew him, and Kiefer is a great example because, through my research, I found out he was supposed to have played Eddie in a biopic when he was only 18 or 19 years old,” she recalls. “The film was cancelled, but Kiefer remained a fan. He has such a brilliant mind and is also a musician, so it was perfect. 

Joining Sutherland is a roster of major names including Keith Richards, Rod Stewart, John Waters, Roger Daltrey, Cliff Richard and Yungblud. Talking about the latter, Bell says the young English musician “was always on her list,” recalling being at the Royal Albert Hall for one of his concerts before he became a major international star and being astounded by his fans. “All of them looked like they were part of a gang, like they knew something about each other. They were all dressed similarly, all bound together. Before Yungblud became famous, I remember thinking: This is a young Eddie. He’s got this tribe, and they support him wherever he goes. He’s a modern rock star.”

Seeing Yungblud’s fans led Bell to getting access to hundreds of fan letters to Eddie, which became a key component of the film. Form-wise, the filmmaker also knew she wanted to “bring Eddie back to life.” “The only way I could do that was by doing the reconstructions because there is hardly any video footage of him around the world.” She then cast Jack Harris to play Cochran onscreen, recreating key moments of the musician’s life as he went from a budding singer struggling to place singles on the radio to becoming the subject of an Elvis-like mania. 

But none of it would have happened without the support of Cochran’s family, Bell emphasizes. Asked about her relationship with Eddie’s living relatives, the filmmaker says it was “very difficult to start with” because the team “didn’t know the pathway to them very well, and we knew other people had approached them in the past and they refused.” 

Bell then approached famed U.S. entertainment lawyer Sindee Levin, “the Cochran family’s gatekeeper and Hollywood amazingness.” The two had an hour-long first meeting, which led to Levin introducing Bell to Patty Hickey, Cochran’s only living sibling. “We showed them a very early teaser we put together and were sending out to potential contributors, and she just burst into tears.”

Despite having a warm first welcome, Bell was still anxious to show the finished film to Cochran’s family. “I was terrified for them to watch the film because what if they felt I hadn’t portrayed something correctly? What if they thought I was being insulting or that it wasn’t good enough? That’s why we sent the film to them right away. And they made a family thing out of watching it. We had to wait, and when they came back to say how much they loved it, it was a huge relief because they are the only people I need to please.”

As for closing Raindance, Bell is “astounded” to be asked back five years after “A Bird Flew In” also premiered at the festival. “You think making a documentary might mean it won’t get to a wider audience, but to have someone see it as a bigger thing and to have it close a festival with two major screenings shows you that making independent films is about the product that creates appeal to the widest audience you can get.” The screening is also extra special as Cochran will receive a posthumous Raindance Icon Award, presented to Eddie’s sister and niece, and set to be displayed alongside his original Gretsch guitar and his other trophies at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.

With “Don’t Forget Me” now making its way around the festival circuit, Bell is back thinking about what’s next. “I’ve written a script for another drama feature, but there are a couple of documentaries that have come my way and have interesting human subjects,” she says. “I obviously got Goldfinch and everything that comes with it, but directing-wise, the next step is to link what I did with ‘A Bird Flew In’ and ‘Eddie’ and see what I can produce that feels like a next level up from that. I am not going to be directing a film every single year, so I need it to be something that will build on both of those.”

“Eddie Cochran: Don’t Forget Me” is produced by Goldfinch Entertainment in partnership with the Cochran family estate and Universal Music Enterprises. Fremantle handles international distribution.

The death toll from the catastrophic series of earthquakes that rocked Venezuela this week has risen to at least 589, with at least 2,980 injured and thousands more missing as U.S. military leadership has arrived in Caracas to help coordinate relief efforts. 

The number of dead is expected to climb Friday following back-to-back magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes that hit northern Venezuela on Wednesday night, roughly 120 miles west of Caracas. 

Venezuelan state TV has broadcast dramatic images of rescues, including a woman who was trapped under a cement slab, only a bare foot poking out before crews managed to get her out alive, The Associated Press reported. The injured were seen being pulled out of the rubble covered in dust and blood, among them children and animals. 

U.S. Southern Command said overnight that U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Kevin J. Jarrard arrived in Caracas on Thursday “to oversee Department of War support to Venezuela earthquake relief efforts.”

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PLEDGES $150M IN AID, DEPLOYS NAVY WARSHIPS AFTER DEADLY VENEZUELA EARTHQUAKES

SOUTHCOM’s announcement comes as the Trump administration has activated a government-wide humanitarian response, pledging $150 million in aid and deploying U.S. Navy warships to assist in life-saving rescue operations.  

“Maj. Gen. Jarrard is serving as the senior U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) official on the ground and is working closely with partners to plan, coordinate, and direct the U.S. military’s unparalleled logistical and operational capabilities to support the rapid, life-saving movement of response personnel, equipment, and humanitarian assistance into affected areas,” SOUTHCOM said in a statement, noting that Venezuela’s interim government — led by acting President Delcy Rodríguez — formally requested American assistance. 

“Assigned U.S. military forces will utilize fixed and rotor wing aircraft to provide specialized mobility services and assist U.S. Government personnel, search and rescue teams, and partners assessing damage and delivering critical life-saving assistance,” SOUTHCOM added.

PLAYERS, FANS FLEE STADIUM AS POWERFUL EARTHQUAKES STRIKE DURING VENEZUELA BASEBALL GAME

The coastal region of La Guaira, which is located north of Caracas, suffered some of the heaviest damage and casualties. The country’s main airport is there and was closed due to damage, complicating aid efforts. 

Retired schoolteacher Juan Alberto Mendaño climbed through wreckage in La Guaira and past a body when he spotted a woman who was trapped and signaling with her hand for help, according to the AP. 

“May God rescue her as quickly as possible,” Mendaño reportedly said. “When we heard the scream, there was nothing we could do.” 

Venezuelan authorities said they were diverting rescue teams from other parts of the country to La Guaira. 

Rodríguez also appealed to businesses Thursday to make heavy construction equipment available for rescue operations.

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“We hope to rescue as many living people as possible,” Rodríguez added, referring to La Guaira as a “disaster zone.” 

Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch and The Associated Press contributed to this report.