Senegal to close all foreign military bases – PM

The decision will apply to the remaining French bases in the African nation

Senegal will close all foreign military bases on its territory as part of the government’s efforts to review defense policy and strengthen national sovereignty, Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko announced on Friday.

The Senegalese premier announced the decision in the National Assembly during a general policy presentation, in which he outlined a strategy for the West African nation’s transformation over the coming 25 years.

“The President of the Republic has decided to close all foreign military bases in the very near future,” Sonko stated.

The prime minister did not name any specific countries, but France is the only foreign power with troops stationed in Senegal.

France has suffered setbacks in several of its former African colonies amid a wave of anti-French sentiment sparked by perceived failures to counter militant insurgencies, and accusations of meddling and aggression.

The former colonial power had over 5,000 troops in the Sahel region as part of Operation Barkhane, a decade-long counter-insurgency mission that ended in late 2022 when Paris withdrew its army from Mali due to a breakdown in relations following Bamako’s May 2021 coup.

READ MORE: France withdraws from first army base in Chad

In December 2022, Paris withdrew troops from the Central African Republic (CAR), citing the closer relationship between the African country and Russia. Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have all canceled military partnerships with Paris and turned to Moscow for assistance in combating terrorism, which has plagued the Sahel since 2011.

Earlier this month, France began withdrawing its forces from Chad after its last remaining ally in the Sahel terminated a bilateral military cooperation agreement in November. The former French colony claims the treaty no longer reflects the country’s security realities or the government’s expectation of full sovereignty.

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Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who has been in office for less than a year, first announced his decision to remove the French military presence from his country in an interview with AFP news agency late last month. He said the French army bases are “incompatible” with the West African country’s sovereignty.

France currently has 350 soldiers stationed in Senegal, but plans to reduce the contingent to 100 as part of a broader military reconfiguration in West and Central Africa.