The departure from Senegal comes months after its leader said a defense pact with Paris is incompatible with the nation’s sovereignty
France has handed over three military bases to Senegal, beginning the withdrawal of French troops from the West African country at the request of the government, local news agency Senego reported on Monday.
According to the outlet, French forces have left the Mareschal, St. Exupery, and Contre Amiral Prote camps. About 200 French soldiers and their families remain stationed in Ouakam and Rufisque, Senego added.
Paris had 350 soldiers stationed in Senegal and planned to reduce the contingent to 100 as part of a broader military reconfiguration in West and Central Africa, where it has suffered setbacks.
In November, Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who has been in office for less than a year, announced his decision to entirely remove the French military presence from his country. He said the French army bases are “incompatible” with the nation’s sovereignty.
President Faye did not provide a specific timeline for when the withdrawal would begin and end. He told Paris-based daily Le Monde that the evacuation will be done “with the necessary respect, without haste or any pressure.”
However, on January 23, Le Monde reported that French forces would leave all five military bases in Senegal by the end of September 2025, as confirmed by Senego on Monday.
Displeasure against Paris has heightened in several African countries following French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent statement that Sahel states had “forgotten” to thank France for its military intervention in protecting them from jihadist attacks.
In response to Macron’s January 6 statement, Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko said France lacks the capacity and legitimacy to ensure Africa’s security and sovereignty. Chadian Foreign Minister Abderaman Koulamallah described the French leader’s words as “contempt” to Africa. Chad also terminated its defense cooperation agreement with France last year.
France has been expelled from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger following military coups in the three Sahel states. Late last year, Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire) also announced an “organized withdrawal” of some 600 French forces from the country beginning in January. In his end-of-year address on December 31, Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara stated that the move reflects the modernization of the national armed forces.
Commenting on Ivory Coast’s decision, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said the planned exit of French troops reflects both the lack of need for their presence in the country and how West African Francophone countries have become critical of the large-scale presence of foreign troops.
France’s military presence in Africa has been controversial for decades, with critics arguing that it perpetuates neocolonial dynamics. Leaders in countries that have severed defense ties with Paris insist that the presence of French forces has been ineffective, prompting them to seek alternative alliances, including with Moscow.
