Senegal says foreign military presence to end in 2025
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Senegal's president says that 2025 would see an end to all foreign military presence in the West African country.
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Senegal's President Basirou Diomaye Faye, poses for a photo, prior to the start of the ECOWAS meeting, in Abuja, Nigeria, December 15, 2024. (AP)
Senegal's president, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, announced that the nation plans to remove foreign military forces by 2025.
"I have instructed the minister of the armed forces to propose a new doctrine of cooperation in the field of defense and security, which will entail the end of any foreign military presence in Senegal from 2025," the president was quoted as saying by Senegalese news agency APS on Tuesday.
Bassirou Diomaye Faye stated in November that French military bases on Senegalese soil were incompatible with the nation's sovereignty. Then, in late January, Le Monde revealed that France planned to drastically scale back its military forces in Senegal, Gabon, and Côte d'Ivoire.
Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko said last week that the country will soon close all foreign military bases.
In a related context, France has officially handed over its first military base in Chad, a former French colony, as part of the ongoing withdrawal of its forces from the country, both the French and Chadian military announced on December 27.
Chad's military chief of staff confirmed that the base, located in Faya-Largeau in northern Chad, has been transferred, with plans for further updates regarding the withdrawal from other French positions in Abeche and the capital N'Djamena.
It added that the French troops had departed the base in vehicles headed for N'Djamena, approximately 780 kilometers (480 miles) to the South, though the exact number of soldiers was not disclosed.
"The handover took place in accordance with the calendar and the conditions agreed with Chad," the French military chief of staff said separately.
