Senegal is giving France’s military the boot… kind of.
The two countries have formed a new joint commission tasked with implementing the withdrawal of French troops by the end of this year – with Paris returning its Senegalese airbase to Dakar.
However, this will not mean the end of military collaboration between the two sides. According to a joint statement, they “intend to work towards a new defence and security partnership that takes into account the strategic priorities of all parties.”
While a positive step, it falls short of what we’ve seen in the Sahel, where (between 2022-2023) Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger ended all forms of military cooperation with France. Additionally, Niger became the first country in Africa after Eritrea to declare the US military presence in its country illegal.
Times are changing, and even notoriously pro-French governments in Africa have shown France’s military the door.
Ivory Coast – whose president, Alassane Ouattara, is a close ally of Emmanuel Macron – announced Paris would be handing back its military base by the end of January 2025, though that date has now been pushed back to 20 February.
Meanwhile, Chad – governed by Mahamat Déby, the son of one of France’s longest-standing allies – cut all military ties with Paris in November of 2024, with the final French troops departing last month.
Meanwhile, the Central African Republic expelled French military forces in 2022 in favour of collaboration with Russia. However, Colonel Olivier Ducret – deputy director for Sub-Saharan Africa at France’s Directorate for Security and Defence Cooperation – visited Bangui on 28 January 2025 in an attempt to convince the country to reestablish military ties with Paris.
How long do you give the French army in Africa?
Sources:
https://www.reuters.com/world/france-senegal-say-talks-arrange-departure-french-troops-2025-02-12/