DAKAR, Senegal: France has formally ended its military presence in Senegal by handing over its last two bases, marking the end of a 65-year deployment in the West African nation.
The move is part of a broader retreat by Paris from its former African colonies.
In a ceremony held on Thursday, French and Senegalese officials marked the transfer of Camp Geille — France’s largest base in Senegal — and its airfield located at Dakar’s international airport.
The handover was attended by Senegalese Chief of the General Staff General Mbaye Cissé and General Pascal Ianni, head of French forces in Africa.
General Cissé described the occasion as “an important turning point in the rich and long military journey of our two countries,” adding that Senegal was now focused on consolidating its defence capabilities in pursuit of strategic autonomy.
General Ianni acknowledged the historical significance of the moment, stating that France was “reinventing partnerships in a dynamic Africa” and that future cooperation did not require permanent military bases.
“We have to do things differently,” he added. However, he insisted that the withdrawal “takes nothing away from the sacrifices made yesterday by our brothers-in-arms in Africa for our respective interests.”
Roughly 350 French troops, who were primarily engaged in joint operations with Senegalese forces, are now exiting the country, Al Jazeera reported.
The departure, which began in March, follows President Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s demand earlier this year that France withdraw all its soldiers by 2025.
Faye, elected in 2024 on promises of reform, has nonetheless stated Senegal’s intention to maintain cooperative ties with Paris.
President Faye has called on France to apologise for historical injustices, including the 1944 massacre of African soldiers who fought for France in the Second World War.
France has been steadily reducing its military footprint across Africa. In February, it handed back its last base in Ivory Coast, and a month earlier it transferred control of the Kossei base in Chad, previously its final outpost in the Sahel.
These developments followed a wave of military coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger between 2020 and 2023, which led to the expulsion of around 4,300 French troops, according to Al Jazeera.
After Thursday’s pullout, France will retain only one permanent military base on the African continent — in Djibouti, in the Horn of Africa.
That base, which houses around 1,500 personnel, is expected to serve as France’s main military headquarters for the continent.
