Senegal assumes control of French military bases

France has officially handed over its final military bases in Senegal, concluding more than six decades of military presence in the West African country.

This development aligns with a broader movement among former French colonies in Africa to reassess and often redefine their long-standing ties with Paris.

Roughly 350 French troops—primarily engaged in joint missions with Senegalese forces—are set to depart following a three-month drawdown that began in March. French authorities have now transferred control of the bases to Senegal.

The move fulfills a key campaign promise by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who, during his 2024 election bid, pledged to significantly shift Senegal’s approach to its relationship with France. Faye had previously called for all French troops to leave the country by 2025.

READ ALSO:French tourist found dead in hotel room in Benue

Despite the military exit, Senegalese officials have emphasized their intention to preserve cooperative relations with France—setting a different tone from other countries in the region like Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, which have adopted more adversarial positions.

A formal ceremony marking the transfer of Camp Geille, France’s largest military facility in Senegal, and its adjoining airfield at Dakar’s international airport, was held in the capital.

As reported by France24, the event was attended by General Mbaye Cisse, Senegal’s Chief of General Staff, and General Pascal Ianni, who oversees French military operations across Africa.

Since achieving independence in 1960, Senegal has been one of France’s most reliable allies on the continent, consistently hosting French troops—particularly under the leadership of former President Macky Sall.

However, the newly elected President Faye, who ran on a platform of reform and national sovereignty, has signaled a clear break from that tradition. He has vowed to treat France on equal footing with other foreign powers and to build a more self-sufficient Senegal.

As part of this broader vision, Faye has committed to the removal of all foreign troops from Senegalese soil by the end of 2025.

“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.”

The president has also called on France to acknowledge and apologize for its colonial-era abuses, including the December 1, 1944 massacre of African soldiers who had served under the French flag during World War II.

Growing anti-French sentiment across Africa has prompted several governments to reconsider France’s military role on the continent. In response, Paris has been steadily reducing or dismantling its bases in the region.

Earlier this year, France vacated its last base in Ivory Coast and, prior to that, relinquished the Kossei base in Chad—once a key position in the turbulent Sahel zone.

A succession of military coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger between 2020 and 2023 brought regimes to power that have expelled French forces and sought closer security ties with Russia to combat ongoing jihadist threats.

In the Central African Republic, another former French colony now allied with Russian mercenaries, authorities have demanded a complete French withdrawal.

Meanwhile, France’s military presence in Gabon has been scaled down to a joint-use facility with local forces.

Following the latest transition in Senegal, Djibouti remains the sole African country hosting a permanent French military base. France intends to centralize its regional operations there, keeping about 1,500 troops stationed in the Horn of Africa nation.