Former colonial ruler France hands over its last military bases in Senegal

About 350 French soldiers are leaving Senegal, marking the extremity of a departure process that began successful March.

France has officially handed implicit its 2 remaining subject bases successful Senegal, leaving the onetime assemblage powerfulness with nary imperishable beingness successful either West oregon Central Africa.

France returned Camp Geille, its largest basal successful Senegal, and its airfield astatine Dakar’s airdrome successful a ceremonial connected Thursday attended by apical French and Senegalese officials, including Senegalese Chief of the General Staff Mbaye Cisse and General Pascal Ianni, the caput of the French forces successful Africa.

The pullout ends the French army’s 65-year beingness successful Senegal and comes aft akin withdrawals crossed the continent arsenic erstwhile colonies progressively crook their backs connected the federation that erstwhile ruled them.

France’s withdrawal from Senegal besides comes arsenic the Sahel portion faces a increasing conflict. The unit crossed Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger is threatening Gulf of Guinea nations to the south.

About 350 French soldiers, who had chiefly been tasked with conducting associated operations with the Senegalese army, are present leaving the country, marking the extremity of a departure process that began successful March.

General Cisse said the handover marked “an important turning constituent successful the affluent and agelong subject travel of our 2 countries”.

France is “reinventing partnerships successful a dynamic Africa”, Ianni said. “We are turning a leafage successful the subject past of our 2 countries, … a precise peculiar narration and 1 indispensable for the countries of the region.”

After storming to victory successful elections past twelvemonth by promising melodramatic change, Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye demanded France retreat its soldiers by 2025.

However, dissimilar the leaders of different erstwhile French colonies specified arsenic Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, which are tally by subject governments, Faye has insisted that Senegal volition support moving with Paris.

After gaining independency successful 1960, Senegal became 1 of France’s staunchest African allies, playing big to French troops passim its history.

Faye has besides urged France to apologise for assemblage atrocities, including the massacre connected December 1, 1944, of dozens of African troops who had fought for France successful World War II.

With governments crossed Africa progressively questioning France’s subject presence, Paris has closed oregon reduced the numbers of its soldiers astatine bases crossed its erstwhile empire.

In February, France handed backmost its sole remaining basal successful Ivory Coast, ending decades of French beingness there.

The period before, France turned implicit the Kossei basal successful Chad, its past subject foothold successful the Sahel region.

Coups successful Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali from 2020 to 2023 person swept subject strongmen to power. Their governments person collectively ejected 4,300 French soldiers. All 3 countries person chopped ties with France and turned to Russia alternatively for assistance successful warring the Sahel’s decade-long unrest.

The Central African Republic, besides a erstwhile French colony to which the Kremlin has sent mercenaries, has likewise demanded a French pullout.

Meanwhile, the French service has turned its basal successful Gabon into a campy shared with its Central African host.

Only the tiny Horn of Africa federation of Djibouti volition beryllium location to a imperishable French service basal aft Thursday’s withdrawal. France intends to marque that basal with astir 1,500 radical its subject office for Africa.