France has handed over several objects to local authorities in Senegal, which were previously used by the French army. According to a statement by the French embassy in Dakar, the French side returned objects and living quarters in the Marechal and Saint-Exupery districts on Friday, March 7.
Earlier, France’s Foreign Ministry reported in February that Paris and Dakar had established a joint commission to withdraw French troops from Senegal by the end of 2025.
As reported by the news agency AFP, the first Senegalese base was returned in late 2024. Further objects are to be returned to Senegal in accordance with a jointly agreed timeline, the embassy announced.
In recent years, France has been forced to withdraw its troops from numerous former colonies in Africa, particularly in the Sahel region. Following the termination of agreements by African states in 2022, the French military had to leave Mali and subsequently Burkina-Faso and Niger in the following year. In 2024, the newspaper Le Monde reported that Paris would significantly reduce its military presence in Gabon, Senegal and the Ivory Coast. In November 2024, Chad demanded the withdrawal of French troops from the country, which was completed in January of this year.