France on Thursday ceded control of Camp Geille, its last permanent base in Senegal, drawing a formal close to more than 200 years of continuous French troop presence in the West African nation.
At a flag‑raising ceremony in Dakar, French Africa‑command chief Gen. Pascal Ianni handed a ceremonial key to Senegal’s armed‑forces head Gen. Mbaye Cissé while a military band played the Senegalese anthem.
“This transfer fulfils Senegal’s wish to host no permanent foreign forces,” Ianni said, calling it “a new phase” in bilateral defence ties focused on training and intelligence rather than basing troops.
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye declared last year that French garrisons were incompatible with Senegalese sovereignty. Paris began the phased pull‑out in March, relinquishing two other Dakar sites before Thursday’s handover.
Unlike recent, acrimonious expulsions of French forces by juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, the Senegalese exit has been negotiated and orderly. France also withdrew from Chad after N’Djamena scrapped a defence pact in 2024.
Going forward, both governments say military cooperation will hinge on joint exercises, specialist training and targeted support at Dakar’s request. “Our partnership continues, but in a format that better reflects our national priorities,” Cissé said, wishing the departing troops “safe travels home.”
France’s shrinking African footprint follows mounting criticism of its post‑colonial military role and unresolved historical grievances, including calls for a full accounting of the 1944 Thiaroye massacre of African soldiers who fought for France in World War Two.
