French army exits Senegal, as president advances post-colonial reforms
3 Min Read
France is officially ending its 65-year military presence in Senegal by handing over Camp Geille and other facilities.
-
Members of a French military flight crew talk on the tarmac at France's military air base in Dakar, Senegal, between flights toward the presumed site of the crash of a missing Air France flight Tuesday, June 2, 2009. (AP)
France is set to officially return its final military bases in Senegal, marking a significant shift as the French army will no longer maintain any permanent camps in West and Central Africa.
This withdrawal marks the end of the French army's 65-year presence in Senegal, following similar retreats from other parts of the continent, as former colonies increasingly distance themselves from their former colonial power.
France will withdraw approximately 350 soldiers from Senegal, primarily responsible for conducting joint military operations with local forces, following a three-month phased exit after beginning the transfer of its military bases back to Senegalese control in March.
Following his decisive 2024 election win on a platform of sweeping reforms, Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Faye called for the complete withdrawal of French military forces from the country by 2025.
While maintaining a stance distinct from other former French colonies like Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, where military juntas hold power, President Faye has emphasized Senegal's continued commitment to cooperation with France.
During an official ceremony in Dakar, France is set to hand over Camp Geille, its most significant military base in Senegal, along with the associated airfield at Dakar airport, with Senegal's Chief of General Staff, General Mbaye Cisse, and General Pascal Ianni, commander of French forces in Africa, both scheduled to attend the transfer proceedings.
France withdraws from Africa
As African governments grow more critical of France's military footprint, Paris has been shutting down or scaling back operations at bases throughout its former colonial territories.
France returned its last remaining base in Ivory Coast in February, closing a decades-long French military presence at the location, following the handover of the Kossei base in Chad the previous month, which marked the end of France's final military foothold in the turbulent Sahel region.
A series of military coups in Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali from 2020 to 2023 brought juntas to power, with all three nations severing their military alliances with France.
The Central African Republic has similarly called for the withdrawal of French forces, while the French military has converted its base in Gabon into a jointly operated facility with the host nation.
Following Thursday's withdrawal, only Djibouti in the Horn of Africa will continue hosting a permanent French military base, as France plans to establish its approximately 1,500-strong Djibouti facility as the primary operational headquarters for its African military presence.
