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19-07-2025
DAKAR: France handed over control of its last major military facility in Senegal on Thursday, marking the end of its armed forces’ long presence in the West African country and a milestone in a withdrawal from the wider region.
The commander of French forces in Africa, General Pascal Ianni, handed over a key to the military camp in Dakar during a ceremony at which a Senegalese flag was raised while military musicians played the national anthem.
“Today’s transfer of Camp Geille marks a new stage in the evolution of the partnership between our two armed forces,” Ianni told reporters. “It is a response to the Senegalese authorities’ wish to no longer have permanent foreign forces present on their territory.”
Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye announced last year that France’s military bases were incompatible with Senegalese sovereignty and would have to be transferred.
The two countries agreed to complete that process by the end of the year and it began in March when France handed over two other facilities, also in Dakar.
The process has been more amicable than the departure of French soldiers from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, where military juntas have pushed out French troops and turned to Russia for help fighting jihadist insurgencies.
Chad, an important Western ally in the fight against Islamic militants in the region, abruptly ended its defence cooperation pact with France last year, forcing its troops to withdraw.
With a reduced presence in West and Central Africa, France has said it is planning to focus on training, intelligence sharing and responding to requests from countries for assistance.
Ianni said French forces’ presence in Senegal dated back more than two centuries, but that a change was needed to reinvent the partnership.
General Mbaye Cisse, head of the Senegalese armed forces general staff, said the new agreement would allow Senegal to continue benefiting from training and information exchanges.
“We wish all our comrades and their families a safe return to France,” he said, adding that he hoped the long history linking the countries would provide a strong base for cooperation. Former colonial ruler France has faced criticism for stationing soldiers in Senegal long after it gained independence in 1960.
Senegal has long demanded that Paris properly investigate a massacre in 1944 of African soldiers who fought for France in World War Two.
Last year, Senegal commemorated the 80th anniversary of a massacre of African soldiers who fought for France during World War Two, and were gunned down by French troops in 1944 for demanding fair treatment and payment on their return.
The West African country has long demanded its former coloniser take responsibility, officially apologise and properly investigate the massacre that took place in Thiaroye, a fishing village on the outskirts of Senegal’s capital Dakar.
The event, which renewed these demands, comes as France is losing influence over its former African colonies, many of which have turned to Russia for security instead.
“The riflemen sacrificed everything. They gave of their youth, they gave of their blood, they gave of their flesh for freedom and world peace,” Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye told guests and reporters.
Accounts of the massacre vary, as does the death toll, which French ex-president Francois Hollande raised to at least 70 from 35 during a visit to Thiaroye in 2014. Historians say hundreds may have died in the confrontation with colonial authorities. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
