JOHANNESBURG
France and Senegal said Wednesday they have decided to set up a commission to organize the departure of French troops from the West African country by the end of 2025.
A statement said the two countries intend to work toward a partnership in defense and security that takes into account the strategic priorities of all parties.
Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye said he sought to end the presence of French troops in his nation.
“There will soon be no more French soldiers in Senegal,” Faye told the Le Monde newspaper in November, emphasizing the importance of national sovereignty.
The French military has maintained a presence in Senegal since that country gained independence in 1960, primarily for training and regional security operations. There are currently 350 French soldiers in the country.
Faye’s comments marked the first statement from Senegal’s government that demanded the departure of French troops.
Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko criticized the presence of French troops in May when he questioned the necessity in a sovereign nation.
France ended its military presence in Chad last month, vacating its last base one day before a deadline set by Chadian authorities.
“It’s a new sunrise for a fully sovereign Chad, determined to take charge of its own destiny,” said President Mahamat Idriss Deby, who indicated that Chad must “build a stronger and better-equipped army to respond to security threats with efficiency.”
N’Djamena is “not breaking off relations” with Paris, he stressed. “We are putting an end to the military dimension of this cooperation.”
Approximately 100 French troops left the Abeche base in eastern Chad on Jan. 11. The Chadian government then gave France six weeks to remove the remaining 1,000 soldiers and their equipment, setting a deadline of Jan. 31, and Paris flew its last soldiers one day before of the deadline.
France’s military presence in Africa has been steadily declining in recent years, as several nations push out its forces. In addition to Chad, French troops have been expelled from Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.
The Ivory Coast has also announced plans to remove French forces from their territories.
French troops currently remain in Djibouti and Gabon, two countries that have not signaled changes to agreements with Paris on military presence.
