Paris is withdrawing its troops after the African country scrapped a decades-old defense agreement
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| FILE PHOTO. Soldiers are seen during the military exercise 'Xaritoo 2023' organized by Senegal and France in Dakar, the capital of Senegal on November 16, 2023. © Cem Ozdel/Getty Images |
France has handed over a military communications base in western Senegal to local authorities after withdrawing its troops, the French embassy has announced. The West African nation’s president, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, called for an end to a decades-old defense pact with the former colonial power last year, declaring it “incompatible” with the country’s sovereignty.
The joint broadcasting station located in Rufisque has been responsible for military communications along the southern Atlantic coast since 1960, the French mission in Senegal’s capital, Dakar, said in a statement on Tuesday.
Paris began pulling out its forces from Senegal in March, during which it transferred the Marechal and Saint-Exupery military facilities to the Senegalese government. In May, the Contre-Amiral Protet camp, located at the port of Dakar, was also returned. A joint commission established by both countries to oversee the process has stated that the handover of bases and the withdrawal of approximately 350 French troops will be completed by the end of 2025.
The embassy said on Tuesday however that “the last sites will be returned by the end of July 2025, according to the commonly agreed schedule,” as the commission continues efforts to “renew the bilateral defense and security partnership.”
Senegal gained independence from France in 1960 and had long remained one of the French government’s most reliable partners in West Africa. However, in November, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who took office in April 2024, announced his decision to fully remove the French military presence from the country.
Earlier this year, Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko said France lacked both the capacity and legitimacy to guarantee Africa’s security and sovereignty. His remarks followed French President Emmanuel Macron’s claim that Sahel states had “forgotten” to thank Paris for its military intervention against jihadist threats – a statement that sparked widespread anger.
French troops have been expelled from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger following military coups in the three Sahel countries. Chad also terminated its defense cooperation agreement with France last year. In February, France transferred the Port-Bouet military camp – its only army base in Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) – to the West African nation’s authorities. Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara claimed in his year-end address in December that the exit of about 600 French troops is intended to modernize the national armed forces.
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