The French troops completed their withdrawal from Senegal on Thursday, the last West African country with permanent forces, amid declining regional influence in Paris.
France faces opposition from some of the leaders of Africa’s former colonies as what has been described as a sleazy and forced approach to the continent.
At a ceremony in the capital Dakar, the French army handed over Senegal’s largest base, Senegal, and nearby aviation facilities to the Senegal government.
General Pascal Ianni, head of the French military in Africa, said the handover marked a new stage in military relations.
“This is part of France’s decision to end permanent military bases in West and Central Africa, addressing the desire to host permanent foreign troops on the territory of Senegalese authorities,” he said.
Senegal’s military chief General Mbei Sisse said the withdrawal supports the country’s new defence strategy.
“Its main goal is to affirm the autonomy of the Senegalese army while still contributing to peace in subregions, Africa and worldwide,” Sisse said.
The ceremony showed that around 350 French troops had withdrawn from the West African country, which began in March, for three months.
Since its independence from France in 1960, French troops have existed under a military cooperation agreement between the two countries.
The withdrawal followed Senegale President Basilou Diomai Fey’s call last year to allow all foreign troops to leave, citing Senegal sovereignty as incompatible with holding foreign bases.
“Senegal is an independent country, a sovereign nation, and sovereignty does not correspond to the existence of military bases in sovereign countries,” he added last year that Dakar will instead pursue a “new partnership” with Paris.
The new Senegal government has taken a strong stance against the French military presence as part of a larger regional repulsion against what many consider to be the legacy of an oppressive colonial empire.
France has announced plans to significantly reduce its presence at all African bases except Djibouti in eastern Africa.
Instead, he said it would provide defence training or targeted military assistance based on the needs expressed by those countries.
France has recently suffered a series of set-ups in West Africa, including Chad and Ivory Coast, and handed its last military base earlier this year.
They have continued to expel French troops in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso in recent years. There, a military-led government has instead turned to Russia in search of military support.
Approximately 350 French soldiers are still in Gabon. There, the Army has transformed its base into a camp that shares its own with Central African countries.
The Ivory Coast still hosts around 80 French soldiers, advising and training the country’s military. Djibouti is the last African country where France has a permanent military presence with an army of around 1,500 people.
