France and Senegal announced on Wednesday that all French troops stationed in Senegal will leave by late 2025. The establishment of a commission to oversee the French military’s withdrawal and the transfer of military bases was announced in a joint statement. The two nations’ foreign ministries emphasized their commitment to developing a new defense and security partnership that accords with common strategic priorities.
This decision follows Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s November 2023 announcement, which stated that French military bases were “not compatible” with Senegal’s sovereignty. The move comes at a time when Senegal is commemorating the 80th anniversary of the 1944 Thiaroye massacre, in which colonial forces killed West African soldiers known as Tirailleurs Sénégalais who had fought for France during World War II. The soldiers were protesting unpaid salaries and poor living conditions when they were fired upon by French troops.
Senegal’s rejection of its colonial past, in line with a larger movement throughout West and Central Africa toward a distancing from France, is, to some extent, the signal of this additional reluctance. Back in January, France completed its troop withdrawals from Chad, while in earlier moves, Ivory Coast elevated the prospect of withdrawing French forces. This is simply in contrast to the more heated withdrawals that happened in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger during which military governments expelled roughly 4,300 French soldiers in 2022 after France refused to help out when they staged the coups that finally brought them to power.
The withdrawal itself is a momentous shift in France’s military presence on continent since it signals greater demands for sovereignty and independence throughout Africa.
