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France withdraws from Senegal after 65 years, ends military presence in Central, West Africa
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Senegal's Chief of General Staff, General Mbaye Cisse (R), and France's General Pascal Ianni, who commands France's troops in Africa, salute as the Senegalese flag is raised during a ceremony where France will return Camp Geille, its largest base in the country, and its airfield at Dakar airport, in Dakar on July 17, 2025. (Photo: Patrick Meinhardt/AFP)
France on Thursday formally handed back its last two military bases in Senegal, leaving Paris with no permanent army camps in either west or central Africa.
Ending the French army's 65 years in independent Senegal, the pull-out comes after similar withdrawals across the continent, with former colonies increasingly turning their backs on their former ruler.
The move comes as the Sahel region faces a growing jihadist conflict across Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger that is threatening the wider west African region.
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A recent string of attacks this month in Mali included an assault on a town on the border with Senegal.
France returned Camp Geille, its largest base in the west African country, and its airfield at Dakar airport, in a ceremony attended by top French and Senegalese officials.
They included Senegalese chief of staff General Mbaye Cisse and General Pascal Ianni, the head of the French forces in Africa.
Cisse said the handover marked 'an important turning point in the rich and long military journey of our two countries'.
He said the 'new objectives' were aimed at 'giving new content to the security partnership'.
Senegalese troops were working 'to consolidate the numerous skills gained it its quest for strategic autonomy', he added.
The general ended his speech with a quote from Antoine de Saint-Exupery, the French author of 'The Little Prince', who spent several months in Dakar: 'For each ending there is always a new departure.'
Ianni said Paris was 'reinventing partnerships in a dynamic Africa'.
'We have to do things differently, and we don't need permanent bases to do so,' he said.
The French general however insisted that the pull-out 'takes nothing away from the sacrifices made yesterday by our brothers-in-arms in Africa for our respective interests'.
Around 350 French soldiers, primarily tasked with conducting joint operations with the Senegalese army, are now leaving, marking the end of a three-month departure process that began in March.
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After storming to victory in 2024 elections promising radical change, Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Faye demanded France withdraw troops from the country by 2025.
Unlike the 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'
Senegal was one of France's first colonies in Africa.
After gaining independence in 1960, Senegal became one of France's staunchest African allies, playing host to French troops throughout its modern history.
Faye's predecessor, Macky Sall, continued that tradition.
However Faye, who ran on a ticket promising a clean break with the Sall era, has said that Senegal will treat France like any other foreign partner.
Pledging to make his country more self-sufficient, the president 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.
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He maintained nonetheless that France remained '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 soldiers who had fought for France in World War II.
Continent-wide pull-out
With governments across Africa increasingly questioning the presence of French soldiers, Paris has closed or reduced numbers at bases across its former empire.
In February, Paris handed back its sole remaining base in Ivory Coast, ending decades of French presence at the site.
The month before, France turned over the Kossei base in Chad, its last military foothold in the unrest-hit Sahel region.
Coups in Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali between 2020 and 2023 have swept military strongmen to power.
All have cut ties with France and turned to Russia instead for help in fighting the Sahel's decade-long jihadist insurgency.
The Central African Republic, also a former French colony to which the Kremlin has sent mercenaries, has likewise demanded a French pull-out.
Meanwhile the army has turned its base in Gabon into a camp shared with the central African nation focused on training.
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Only the tiny Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti will play host to a permanent French army base following Thursday's withdrawal.
France intends to make its base in Djibouti, home to some 1,500 people, its military headquarters for Africa.
(This is an agency copy. Except for the headline, the copy has not been edited by Firstpost staff.)
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Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 118) Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 120) Daily subject-wise quiz — Science and Technology (Week 120) Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 120) Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment and Geography (Week 120) Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 119) Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X. Manas Srivastava is currently working as Senior Copy Editor with The Indian Express (digital) and leads a unique initiative of IE - UPSC Essentials. He majorly writes on UPSC, other competitive exams and education-related projects. In the past, Manas has represented India at the G-20 Youth Summit in Mexico. He is a former member of the Youth Council, GOI. A two-time topper/gold medallist in History (both in graduation and post-graduation) from Delhi University, he has mentored and taught UPSC aspirants for more than five years. His diverse role in The Indian Express consists of writing, editing, anchoring/ hosting, interviewing experts, and curating and simplifying news for the benefit of students. He hosts the YouTube talk show called 'Art and Culture with Devdutt Pattanaik' and a LIVE series on Instagram and YouTube called 'LIVE with Manas'.His talks on 'How to read a newspaper' focus on newspaper reading as an essential habit for students. His articles and videos aim at finding solutions to the general queries of students and hence he believes in being students' editor, preparing them not just for any exam but helping them to become informed citizens. This is where he makes his teaching profession meet journalism. He is also the editor of UPSC Essentials' monthly magazine for the aspirants. He is a recipient of the Dip Chand Memorial Award, the Lala Ram Mohan Prize and Prof. Papiya Ghosh Memorial Prize for academic excellence. He was also awarded the University's Post-Graduate Scholarship for pursuing M.A. in History where he chose to specialise in Ancient India due to his keen interest in Archaeology. He has also successfully completed a Certificate course on Women's Studies by the Women's Studies Development Centre, DU. As a part of N.S.S in the past, Manas has worked with national and international organisations and has shown keen interest and active participation in Social Service. He has led and been a part of projects involving areas such as gender sensitisation, persons with disability, helping slum dwellers, environment, adopting our heritage programme. He has also presented a case study on 'Psychological stress among students' at ICSQCC- Sri Lanka. As a compere for seminars and other events he likes to keep his orating hobby alive. His interests also lie in International Relations, Governance, Social issues, Essays and poetry. ... Read More
