DAKAR, Senegal (BN24) — France formally ended its six-decade military presence in Senegal on Thursday, completing the withdrawal of its remaining 350 troops and handing over its final bases in a move emblematic of France’s waning influence across West and Central Africa.
The symbolic pullout, marked by a ceremony in Dakar, saw French forces return control of Camp Geille—their largest Senegalese base—and the adjacent airfield at Dakar’s international airport to the Senegalese military. The event concluded a phased departure that began in March and effectively ended France’s uninterrupted military presence in the West African country since it gained independence in 1960.
Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who surged to power in 2024 on a platform calling for a radical realignment of foreign relations and greater national sovereignty, had called for the complete withdrawal of foreign troops by the end of 2025. While Senegal has avoided the hostile rhetoric seen in other former colonies like Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, where military juntas severed ties with France and embraced Russia, Faye made it clear that Senegal would now treat France like any other partner—not as a privileged power.
“Senegal is an independent country, it is a sovereign country and sovereignty does not accept the presence of military bases in a sovereign country,” Faye said in remarks made in late 2024. Still, he emphasized that “France remains an important partner for Senegal,” signaling the shift was more about equality than estrangement.
French forces in Senegal had primarily engaged in joint operations and training with the Senegalese military, rather than direct combat missions. Their departure is the latest in a series of withdrawals across Africa by Paris, as a wave of anti-French sentiment and strategic recalibration continues to reshape its footprint on the continent.
France has recently shuttered or significantly reduced troop levels at its remaining bases in other former colonies. In February, France vacated its last outpost in Côte d’Ivoire, while the month prior, it relinquished the Kossei base in Chad—its final stronghold in the Sahel, a region engulfed in jihadist violence. In the Central African Republic, where Russian paramilitary presence has expanded, France has also drawn down operations under pressure from local authorities.
The trend mirrors broader disillusionment with France’s post-colonial military role across Africa. Coups in Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali since 2020 led to a rupture with Paris and a pivot toward Moscow. In Gabon, another former French colony, France has restructured its military footprint into a shared facility with the local army.
After Thursday’s withdrawal, the only remaining French military base on the African continent will be in Djibouti, a small nation in the Horn of Africa that also hosts U.S., Chinese and other foreign military installations. France plans to maintain its 1,500-person contingent there as its strategic African command center.
Despite the pullout, Faye has urged France to acknowledge its colonial legacy more fully, calling for an official apology for historic atrocities, including the December 1, 1944 massacre of African soldiers who fought for France in World War II—a flashpoint in France’s complicated relationship with its former colonies.
The exit from Senegal marks a historic turning point for France’s post-colonial presence in Africa and signals a new era in Franco-African relations, one where mutual cooperation may continue—but without boots on the ground.
lemonde.fr
