France has officially completed the withdrawal of its troops from Senegal, closing the final chapter of its permanent military presence in West Africa. The handover of the historic Camp Geille and an air base in Dakar marks the end of an era that began after Senegalese independence in 1960.
For more than sixty years, France maintained a military force stationed on Senegalese soil, with some 350 soldiers in recent years. However, the new political orientation in Dakar, led by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, has made it clear that the country seeks to exercise full sovereignty without foreign bases on its territory.
The decision is part of a broader regional trend: the progressive withdrawal of the French military from former African colonies. In recent years, France has abandoned strategic positions in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad, facing growing social and political backlash in the region.
From Paris, the Defence Ministry has presented the withdrawal as part of a shift in strategy towards more discreet cooperation, based on intelligence sharing and ad hoc support, rather than permanent troop deployments.
In Senegal, the gesture is received as a powerful symbol of political emancipation. For many citizens and analysts, the dismantling of the last French base represents a break with the inertia of the colonial past and an affirmation of national identity.
The French exit leaves the African country with the challenge of strengthening its defence system, but also with the opportunity to assume a more autonomous and leading role in regional security.
Source: euronews.com; aljazeera.com