France will formally relinquish its last military bases in Senegal on Thursday, ending a 65-year military presence in the country.
The move is the latest in its streak of similar withdrawals from former colonies as Paris faces growing demands across the continent to end its military footprint, France24 reports.
In a ceremony in Dakar, France will hand over Camp Geille, its largest base in the country, and its airfield at Dakar airport.
This will leave the French army with no permanent camps in West and Central Africa, with former colonies increasingly turning their backs on their former rulers.
Around 350 French soldiers, primarily assigned to conduct joint operations with the Senegalese army, will leave the West African nation following a three-month departure process.
Senegal President Bassirou Diomaye Faye demanded that France withdraw troops from the country by 2025 after his sweeping victory in the 2024 elections, promising radical change on the campaign trail.
Unlike leaders of other former colonies, such as junta-run Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, however, Faye has insisted that Senegal will keep working with Paris.
Sovereignty or tradition?
After gaining independence in 1960, Senegal became one of France's staunchest allies in Africa, hosting French troops throughout its history.
Faye's predecessor, Macky Sall, maintained that tradition.
However, Faye ran his election campaign on the promise of breaking free of the Sall era and making his country more self-sufficient.
The president said that Senegal would treat France like any other foreign partner.
He gave a deadline of the end of 2025 for all foreign armies to withdraw.
"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 at the end of 2024, while maintaining that "France remains an important partner for Senegal".
Faye has also urged Paris to apologise for colonial atrocities, including the massacre on December 1, 1944, of dozens of African troops who had fought for France in World War II.
Continent-wide pull-out
Throughout Africa, France's foothold is being increasingly scrutinised, with Paris closing bases across its former empire.
France's military footprint in Africa is now reduced to Djibouti and Gabon – though only Djibouti is expected to continue hosting a permanent French military base. Here is a brief rundown of the former coloniser's withdrawals from decades-long military presence in West and Central Africa.
Mali (2021-2022)
France's pullout began in earnest in Mali, where joint military operations were suspended in June 2021 after a coup that brought Col Assimi Goita to power. This followed the resignation of Mali's transitional president and prime minister. Macron soon announced the end of Operation Barkhane – a major counterterrorism deployment launched in 2014 involving 5,000 troops across the G5 Sahel countries: Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger.
By Aug. 15, 2022, the last French troops had left Mali.
Burkina Faso (2023)
The departure from Burkina Faso came after another coup – this one in September 2022, led by Capt Ibrahim Traore.
French troops, once stationed under a 2018 military pact, became the target of growing domestic criticism and anti-French protests for perceived ineffectiveness in combating insurgencies.
Burkina Faso terminated the military agreement in January 2023, after which France withdrew its roughly 400 special forces.
A flag-lowering ceremony on February 19 marked the formal end of operations.
Niger (2023)
France's most significant military hub in the Sahel was in Niger, but after Gen Abdourahamane Tchiani ousted President Mohamed Bazoum in July 2023, the military government annulled several cooperation agreements with Paris.
France had a major military base in Niger with about 1,000 to 1,500 troops, which played a crucial role in operations in the troubled Sahel region, and gained more importance after the withdrawal from Mali and Burkina Faso.
However, Niger, once Paris's last remaining counterterror ally in the region, turned against France amid a new alliance formed with Mali and Burkina Faso.
The last French troops left Niger in December 2023, months after the three countries formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) in September that year.
Chad (2024-2025)
Chad terminated its defense cooperation agreement with France on Nov 28 last year, saying it aimed to "assert its full sovereignty and to redefine its strategic partnerships according to national priorities."
President Mahamat Idriss Deby called the agreement "obsolete" and lacking "real added value."
France began pulling out its personnel and equipment in December 2024. It completed its withdrawal on Jan 30, 2025, one day ahead of a six-week deadline issued by the Chadian government.
Ivory Coast (2024-2025)
On December 31 last year, President Alassane Ouattara announced a "concerted and organised" withdrawal of French forces from the Ivory Coast, although military cooperation would continue.
On February 20, 2025, France formally vacated the 43rd Marine Infantry Battalion base in Port Bouet, with French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu attending the decommissioning ceremony.
Senegal (2024-2025)
Senegal is now the latest – and last – West African nation to see the departure of French troops. In November 2024, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye confirmed to French daily Le Monde: "There will soon be no more French soldiers in Senegal."
The decision came after Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko openly questioned the necessity of French troops in a sovereign state.
France began withdrawing on March 7, transferring key facilities in the Marechal and Saint-Exupery districts to Senegalese authorities.
The handover of the last bases on Thursday closes a chapter of more than 60 years of continuous French military presence in Senegal, and marks a symbolic turning point in Africa's post-colonial efforts to reclaim security autonomy.
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