French army leaves Senegal ending military presence in West Africa

Senegal's Chief of General Staff, General Mbaye Cisse (R), and France's General Pascal Ianni, who commands France's troops in Africa, salute as the Senegalese flag is raised during a ceremony. [AFP] France on Thursday formally handed back its last two military bases in Senegal, leaving Paris with no permanent camps in either west or central Africa. The pull-out, which ends the French army's 65 years in Senegal, mirrors similar withdrawals across the continent, where ex-colonies are increasingly turning their backs on their former ruler. The move comes as the Sahel region faces a growing jihadist conflict across Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger that is threatening Gulf of Guinea nations to the south. A recent string of attacks this month in Mali included an assault on a town on the border with Senegal. France returned Camp Geille, its largest base in the west African country, and its airfield at Dakar airport, in a ceremony attended by top French and Senegalese officials. They included Senegalese chief of staff General Mbaye Cisse and General Pascal Ianni, the head of the French forces in Africa. Cisse said the handover marked "an important turning point in the rich and long military journey of our two countries". He said the "new objectives" were aimed at "giving new content to the security partnership". Senegalese troops were working "to consolidate the numerous skills gained it its quest for strategic autonomy", he added. Ianni said Paris was "reinventing partnerships in a dynamic Africa". "We are turning a page in the military history of our two countries... a very special relationship and one essential for the countries of the region," he added. Around 350 French soldiers, primarily tasked with conducting joint operations with the Senegalese army, are now leaving, marking the end of a three-month departure process that began in March. After storming to victory in 2024 elections promising radical change, Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Faye demanded France withdraw troops from the country by 2025. Unlike the leaders of other former colonies such as junta-run Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, however, Faye has insisted that Senegal will keep working with Paris. 'Sovereignty' After gaining independence in 1960, Senegal became one of France's staunchest African allies, playing host to French troops throughout its history. Faye's predecessor, Macky Sall, continued that tradition. Faye, who ran on a ticket promising a clean break with the Sall era, has said that Senegal will treat France like any other foreign partner. Pledging to make his country more self-sufficient, the president gave a deadline of the end of 2025 for all foreign armies to withdraw. "Senegal is an independent country, it is a sovereign country, and sovereignty does not accept the presence of military bases in a sovereign country," Faye said at the end of 2024. He maintained nonetheless that France remained "an important partner for Senegal". Faye has also urged Paris to apologise for colonial atrocities, including the massacre on December 1, 1944, of dozens of African soldiers who had fought for France in World War II. Continent-wide pull-out With governments across Africa increasingly questioning France's military presence, Paris has closed or reduced numbers at bases across its former empire. In February, Paris handed back its sole remaining base in Ivory Coast, ending decades of French presence at the site. The month before, France turned over the Kossei base in Chad, its last military foothold in the unrest-hit Sahel region. Coups in Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali between 2020 and 2023 have swept military strongmen to power. All have cut ties with France and turned to Russia instead for help in fighting the Sahel's decade-long jihadist insurgency. The Central African Republic, also a former French colony to which the Kremlin has sent mercenaries, has likewise demanded a French pull-out. Meanwhile the army has turned its base in Gabon into a camp shared with the central African nation. Only the tiny Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti will be home to a permanent French army base following Thursday's withdrawal. France intends to make its base in Djibouti, with some 1,500 people, its military headquarters for Africa.

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