France officially relinquished control of its final two military bases in Senegal on Thursday, drawing the curtain on over six decades of military presence in the West African nation and marking a broader retreat from permanent deployments across West and Central Africa.
This move concludes a 65-year military relationship between Paris and Dakar and follows a wave of withdrawals from former French colonies across the continent, many of which have increasingly sought to redefine ties with their former colonial power.
READ ALSO: U.S. court sentences France-Based Nigerian to 41 months for $8m fraud
The withdrawal comes at a time of heightened insecurity in the Sahel, where jihadist violence continues to escalate across Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, posing threats to neighboring Gulf of Guinea states.
This month alone, a series of attacks in Mali included a strike on a town near Senegal’s border.
During an official handover ceremony, France returned Camp Geille—its primary military installation in Senegal—and an airfield located at Dakar’s airport.
The event was attended by senior military officials from both nations, including General Mbaye Cisse, Chief of Staff of the Senegalese Armed Forces, and General Pascal Ianni, commander of French forces in Africa.
Approximately 350 French troops who had been stationed in Senegal primarily for joint operations with the local military are now departing.
Their phased exit began in March and concludes a three-month disengagement plan.
The decision to remove French forces was initiated following the electoral victory of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye in 2024.
A vocal proponent of national sovereignty and institutional reform, Faye had called for the departure of foreign military forces, including French troops, by the end of 2025.
Despite this directive, Faye has distanced himself from the anti-Western rhetoric seen in countries like Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, where military juntas have severed ties with France in favor of closer cooperation with Russia.
Instead, Faye has reaffirmed Senegal’s willingness to maintain diplomatic and strategic collaboration with Paris.
“Senegal is an independent country, it is a sovereign country and sovereignty does not accept the presence of military bases in a sovereign country,” President Faye stated at the close of 2024.
Still, he emphasized that “France remains an important partner for Senegal.”
Senegal, which gained independence in 1960, has historically been one of France’s most reliable allies in Africa. Former President Macky Sall upheld strong military and diplomatic ties with Paris throughout his tenure.
However, Faye, who campaigned on a promise to shift the country’s direction, has made clear that future partnerships—even with France—will be based strictly on mutual respect and sovereignty.
He has also urged France to issue a formal apology for colonial-era atrocities, including the December 1, 1944 massacre of African soldiers who had fought for France during the Second World War.
Amid growing scrutiny across the continent over France’s military footprint, Paris has steadily closed or scaled back operations at its remaining bases in Africa. In February, France returned its last military base in Ivory Coast. The preceding month, it handed over the Kossei base in Chad, its final stronghold in the increasingly volatile Sahel region.
Military coups between 2020 and 2023 in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have empowered regimes that have expelled French troops and sought security partnerships with Russia.
Similarly, the Central African Republic, where Russian mercenaries are active, has also requested the withdrawal of French forces.
Elsewhere, France’s base in Gabon has been downgraded to a joint facility shared with the host nation.
Following Thursday’s exit from Senegal, France’s only remaining permanent military presence on the African continent will be in Djibouti, where approximately 1,500 personnel are stationed.
Paris plans to designate the Djibouti base as its primary African command center moving forward.
