France transferred control of two military facilities to Senegal on Friday, marking the initial phase of its military withdrawal from the West African nation, the French embassy announced. The move reflects a broader regional shift away from French military presence.
A joint commission between France and Senegal was established last month to oversee the handover of military bases and the phased withdrawal of 350 French troops, set for completion by the end of 2025.
The development follows similar moves by Senegal’s neighbors—Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger—where governments have expelled French forces and sought military support from Russia in their fight against jihadist insurgencies. In December, France also began withdrawing troops from Chad after N’Djamena abruptly ended its defense cooperation agreement with Paris.
“In accordance with the decision of the joint commission… the French side handed over facilities and accommodation in the Maréchal and Saint-Exupéry quarters to the Senegalese side,” the French embassy stated, referring to sites in the capital, Dakar. Additional transfers will follow according to a mutually agreed timeline, it added.
Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has pledged to end all foreign military presence in the country, reaffirming in his New Year’s Eve address that maintaining foreign bases is incompatible with national sovereignty.
