France’s decades-long military presence in West Africa came to a symbolic end on Thursday as it formally withdrew its remaining troops from Senegal, the last West African nation to host a permanent French military base.
During a handover ceremony in Dakar, French forces transferred control of Camp Geille and a nearby air base to the Senegalese authorities, marking the end of a presence that began after Senegal’s independence in 1960.
Gen. Pascal Ianni, commander of French forces in Africa, described the move as a strategic transition.
“It is part of France’s decision to end permanent military bases in West and Central Africa, and responds to the Senegalese authorities’ desire to no longer host permanent foreign forces on their territory,” he said.
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The drawdown, initiated in March and involving about 350 troops, concludes France’s footprint in a region where its influence has sharply declined in recent years amid growing resentment over its perceived neo-colonial role.
Senegal’s top military official, Gen. Mbaye Cissé, said the move aligns with the country’s evolving security priorities.
“Its primary goal is to affirm the autonomy of the Senegalese armed forces while contributing to peace in the subregion, in Africa, and globally,” he stated.
The withdrawal comes in response to calls from Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who last year demanded the removal of all foreign troops from the country, framing their presence as incompatible with national sovereignty.
France’s exit from Senegal follows similar military pullouts from Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, and Côte d’Ivoire, all of which have questioned longstanding defense ties with Paris. In many of these cases, military regimes have shifted their security partnerships toward Russia instead.
French military spokesperson Col. Guillaume Vernet said the exit reflects a fundamental policy shift.
He explained that France is moving away from a strategy of permanent troop deployment in West and Central Africa, opting instead for more adaptive partnerships. “The French military would provide countries with defense training or targeted military support, based on needs expressed by those countries,” Vernet noted.
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Despite closing permanent bases, France is not leaving the continent entirely. It will maintain troops in Djibouti, its only remaining permanent base in Africa, alongside a scaled-down presence elsewhere. In Gabon, about 350 French soldiers now share a military facility with local forces. In Côte d’Ivoire, roughly 80 servicemen remain to offer training and advisory support to the national army, AP reported.
