France Ends 65-Year Military Presence In Senegal Amid Wider Africa Pullout

France officially handed over its last two military bases in Senegal on Thursday, bringing an end to a 65-year military presence and leaving the country without any permanent French military installations in West or Central Africa.

The withdrawal follows a growing wave of resistance against French military influence across its former colonies. In recent years, several African nations have demanded the departure of French troops, reflecting shifting alliances and rising calls for sovereignty.

The exit from Senegal occurs as jihadist violence continues to escalate across Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, with the threat now extending toward Gulf of Guinea nations. Recent attacks in Mali, including one near the Senegalese border, highlight the deteriorating security situation in the region.

In a handover ceremony attended by senior officials from both nations including Senegal’s Chief of Staff General Mbaye Cisse and General Pascal Ianni, who leads French forces in Africa, France returned Camp Geille and its airbase at Dakar International Airport. Roughly 350 French troops, who had been involved in joint operations with the Senegalese army, are now departing, concluding a process that began in March.

Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, elected in 2024 on a platform of sweeping reform, had called for the removal of foreign troops by the end of 2025. Unlike military regimes in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, which have cut ties with France and turned toward Russia, Faye has pledged to continue diplomatic and cooperative ties with Paris but under a new framework that respects Senegal’s autonomy.

“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 declared in late 2024. Still, he affirmed that “France remains an important partner for Senegal.”

Faye has also called on France to apologize for colonial-era atrocities, including the December 1, 1944 massacre of African soldiers who had served in the French army during World War II.

The Senegal withdrawal forms part of France’s broader retreat from Africa. In early 2024, Paris returned its final military base in Ivory Coast, and in January, handed over the Kossei base in Chad its last post in the increasingly unstable Sahel region.

Since 2020, military coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have resulted in new regimes expelling French forces and strengthening ties with Russia, including hosting mercenaries from the Kremlin-backed Wagner Group. The Central African Republic has also requested a full French military exit.

In Gabon, France’s military facility has been restructured as a joint base shared with the host nation. With the withdrawal from Senegal complete, France’s only remaining permanent military base on the continent is in Djibouti, which will now serve as its main African headquarters, hosting around 1,500 personnel.