France returns sole military base to Ivory Coast

France's Minister of Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu (C) is welcomed by Defence Minister of Ivory Coast Tene Birahima Ouattara (CR) during a ceremony at the 43rd Marine Infantry Battalion in Port-Bouet in Abidjan on February 20, 2025. France will return the Port-Bouet military base, near Abidjan, to Ivory Coast on February 20, 2025, during a ceremony attended by the defence ministers of both countries. A concerted approach, contrary to other African countries that have recently expelled the French army. [AFP]

France returned on Thursday its sole military base in Ivory Coast to the west African nation's authorities, marking an end to decades of French presence at the site.

The French and Ivorian defence ministers signed a document to confirm the return, shortly after the Ivorian flag was raised in the base's parade ground.