France has officially handed over a military communications base in western Senegal, continuing its troop withdrawal from the West African nation. The move follows Senegal’s decision to end a long-standing defence agreement with its former colonial ruler, citing concerns over national sovereignty.
The French Embassy in Dakar announced on Tuesday that the base in Rufisque, which has served military communications along the southern Atlantic coast since 1960, has now been transferred to Senegalese control.
The withdrawal is part of a broader disengagement, with French forces also vacating the Marechal and Saint-Exupery facilities in March, and the Contre-Amiral Protet camp at Dakar port in May.
A joint commission set up by both governments is overseeing the process. According to the embassy, the remaining French military sites will be returned by July 2025, in line with a “commonly agreed schedule.”
Around 350 French troops are expected to leave the country entirely by the end of next year.
Senegal, which gained independence from France in 1960, has historically maintained close military ties with Paris.
However, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who assumed office in April 2024, announced last November that French troops would be fully removed from the country. He argued that the defence pact had become “incompatible” with Senegal’s sovereignty.
Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko echoed those sentiments earlier this year, saying France no longer possessed either the capacity or legitimacy to guarantee Africa’s security.
His comments came in response to French President Emmanuel Macron’s claim that Sahel nations had failed to thank France for its anti-jihadist operations—remarks that sparked significant backlash across the region.
France’s military footprint in West Africa has steadily diminished following a series of coups in neighbouring Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger—all of which expelled French troops in recent years. Chad also terminated its defence agreement with France in 2023.
In a further sign of shifting alliances, France in February handed over its last base in Côte d’Ivoire, the Port-Bouët military camp, to Ivorian authorities. President Alassane Ouattara stated in his December year-end address that the move was part of efforts to modernise the country’s armed forces.
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