Adieu: Africa’s military breakup with France is official
France is about to completely lose its military presence in the Sahel region and West African nations, following statements by Senegal, Chad, and Cote d’Ivoire in late 2024 expressing their intent to terminate military contracts with Paris.
Earlier, French troops left Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. The interim governments of these countries, formed after military coups, no longer want to cooperate with their former colonizer and aim to unite under a new confederation known as the AES, Alliance of Sahel States. These nations have also opted to leave the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), viewed as a tool for maintaining French influence in the region.
Chad
On November 28, 2024, the government of Chad announced that it is terminating its defense agreement with France, which was signed on September 5, 2019.
“The government of the Republic of Chad informs national and international public opinion of the decision to end the defence cooperation agreement signed with the French Republic,” the statement from the Chadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs says.
The deadline for the withdrawal of French forces from Chad was set for January 31. As of 2024, approximately 1,100 French troops were stationed in Chad under a 1978 agreement that was revised in 2019.
On January 30, 2025, Chad’s General Staff announce that control over the last French military base, the Adji Kossei military base in the capital city of N’Djamena, had been officially handed over to the Chadian Army. Control over the other two bases, located in Faya in the north and Abeche in the east of the country, were handed over on December 26 and January 12, respectively.
N’Djamena has also refused military support from Washington. Just a few months earlier, in April 2024, the Chadian government sent a letter to the US announcing its intent to terminate the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which allowed for a US military presence in the country. The letter specified that all US troops were to leave the military base in N’Djamena. By April 25, the Pentagon confirmed it would withdraw 75 of its servicemen from Chad, although it characterized this move as “temporary.”
This situation raised concerns in the US that it would lose its influence in the Sahel to nations like China and Russia. These fears were compounded by a meeting in January between the president of Chad, Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, and Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin. Their encounter signaled Chad’s intention to move away from decades of pro-Western policy and look eastward, following the example of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.
Senegal
On November 29, 2024, the day after the statement by Chad’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye told AFP that France would have to close its military bases in Senegal.
“The presence of French military bases is incompatible with Senegal’s sovereignty. Senegal is an independent country, it is a sovereign country, and sovereignty does not accommodate the presence of military bases in a sovereign country,” he said.
Faye, who became president in April 2024 and pledged to support the country’s sovereignty and break free from foreign influence, clarified that the choice to expel French troops did not mean that Dakar would sever ties with Paris.
He also said that he had received a letter from French President Emmanuel Macron in which Parisclearly and unequivocally acknowledged its responsibility for the Thiaroye massacre, committed by French colonial troops near Dakar on December 1, 1944. On that day, up to 400 Senegalese soldiers, known as Tirailleurs, who had fought in the Second World War as part of the French colonial forces, were shot by their own commanders under the pretext of a mutiny, stemming from unpaid wages. Faye welcomed this acknowledgment, viewing it as “a great step forward” from Macron.
Faye also noted that Senegal maintains strong ties with several nations, including China, Türkiye, the US, and Saudi Arabia, which do not have military bases in Senegal.
On December 27, 2024, Senegal’s prime minister, Ousmane Sonko, announced the closure of all foreign military bases in the country. While he did not specifically name France, this is clear since French troops are the only foreign forces present in Senegal. France is expected to hand over all the bases in 2025.
Currently, a unit of the French Marine Corps operates in Senegal, primarily consisting of military instructors involved in the comprehensive program known as the ‘Reinforcement of African Peacekeeping Capacities’ (RECAMP), an initiative launched in the late 1990s with the involvement of France, the UK, and US.
In 2010, France closed its military base in Senegal but retained an air base at Leopold Sedar Senghor International Airport in Dakar. Additionally, French military equipment necessary for peacekeeping operations remains stationed in the country.
By mid-February, officials from both nations agreed to establish a special commission to oversee the transfer of the bases and the withdrawal of approximately 350 French soldiers from Senegal by the end of 2025. The decision was announced in a joint statement by the foreign ministers of France and Senegal.
“The two countries intend to work towards a new defense and security partnership that takes into account the strategic priorities of all parties,” they stated.
Cote d’Ivoire
On February 20, 2025, France officially handed over its only military base in Cote d’Ivoire to the local authorities. This was announced on the French mission’s official webpage. On December 31, 2024, President Alassane Ouattara said that all French troops would be withdrawn from the 43rd BIMA marine infantry battalion at Port-Bouet starting in January. Located in a coastal suburb of Abidjan, Port-Bouet is home to an international airport and an autonomous port, where around 500 French soldiers were stationed. This withdrawal is part of a broader effort to strengthen the country’s own defense capabilities.
“We can be proud of our army, whose modernization is effective. It is in this context that we have decided on the concerted and organized withdrawal of French forces in Cote d’Ivoire,” Ouattara said.
African Frexit
The public and media have dubbed this collective expulsion of French forces, initiated by the governments of the former French colonies, the ‘African Frexit’. The people in these countries showed widespread support for the decision of the authorities, since they were weary of terrorist threats which have persisted despite the presence of thousands of French soldiers and military instructors. Armed groups have turned the Sahel and West Africa into persistent hotspots of violence.
In Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, organizations such as Jama’at Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), affiliated with Al-Qaeda, are waging a full-scale war against government security forces. Armed factions are increasingly launching attacks in coastal areas of Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Benin. It is understandable why the regional authorities are reevaluating their counterterrorism strategies, reforming military structures, enhancing national defense capabilities, and seeking support from countries like Russia.
The reaction of Paris
In reaction to Chad and Senegal’s decisions to terminate military agreements, French President Emmanuel Macron accused them of forgetting to express gratitude for France’s support in the fight against terrorism since 2013.
“I think someone forgot to say thank you. It does not matter, it will come with time,” Macron said during his annual address to French ambassadors.
His comments referred to Operation Serval and Operation Barkhane – French military operations that targeted Islamist groups in the Sahel region. Macron further said that “None of them would be a sovereign country today if the French army had not deployed in the region.”
These statements were strongly condemned by both N’Djamena and Dakar. Chad’s foreign minister, Abderaman Koulamallah, described Macron’s remarks as “disrespectful” towards Africans and reminded him of the “crucial role” Africa and Chad played in liberating France during both World Wars – something he claimed “France has never truly acknowledged.” Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko echoed this sentiment, accusing France of destabilizing Sahelian nations: “This is finally the place to remind President Macron that if African soldiers, sometimes forcibly mobilised, mistreated, and ultimately betrayed, had not deployed during the Second World War to defend France, it would perhaps still be German today,” Sonko said.
France attributes its setbacks in Africa to political events. In the same speech to ambassadors, Macron explained that French troops are withdrawing from African nations due to coups and the rise of new governments that France does not recognize as legitimate.
“We were there at the request of sovereign states that had asked France to come. From the moment there were coups d’état, and when people said ‘our priority is no longer the fight against terrorism’… France no longer had a place there because we are not the auxiliaries of putschists.”
In light of recent developments, French media outlets have observed that Africa holds limited economic interest for the Fifth Republic. In 2023, Africa accounted for just 1.9% of France’s external trade, 15% of its strategic mineral supplies, and 11.6% of its oil and gas imports. Moreover, France’s largest trading partners in sub-Saharan Africa are Nigeria and South Africa – former British colonies which had never hosted French military bases.
What is left?
Until recently, France had military bases in at least eight African countries: Mali, Niger, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Djibouti, and Gabon. Additionally, since 1990, the French Navy has been active in the Gulf of Guinea and off the West African coast as part of ‘Mission CORYMBE’, which safeguards French economic interests in the region.
However, in the past three years, six countries have severed military agreements with Paris. By August 2022, French forces had completely withdrawn from Mali, and in February 2023, Burkina Faso announced that it was expelling French troops. By December of the same year, France handed over all its military bases in Niger to the local authorities. As previously mentioned, by January-February 2025, French troops had fully withdrawn from Chad and Cote d’Ivoire, and plan to leave Senegal by the end of the year.
Djibouti and Gabon remain the only two African nations where France still has a military contingent. According to a defense cooperation agreement signed in 2011, Djibouti hosts the largest French military contingent in Africa (around 1,500 servicemen). This small nation, strategically located along the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, is home to five French naval and air bases. However, French troops aren’t the only ones stationed in Djibouti – the country also has at least eight foreign military bases, including those of the US, China, and Japan.
At the end of December, Macron visited the 1,500 French troops stationed in Djibouti. Addressing the personnel, he emphasized the strategic importance of the Djibouti military base for Paris.
“Our role in Africa is evolving because the world in Africa is evolving-public opinion is changing, and governments are changing,” he said.
French troops have been present in Gabon since the country became independent in 1960. This is cemented by defense agreements established that same year. Currently, around 350 French soldiers are deployed in Gabon. Despite the deep historical and economic ties between the two nations, France’s influence in the region is declining and calls to reduce foreign influence are spreading in Gabonese society.
Seeking alternatives
Nevertheless, France appears to be exploring alternative avenues to maintain its standing following the loss of its military bases in Africa. One potential ally in this endeavor could be Mauritania. At the end of January 2025, the Delegate General for Armaments in the French Ministry of Armed Forces, Emmanuel Chiva, delivered advanced military and electronic equipment to Nouakchott. This shipment included combat vehicles, motorcycles, engineering tools, fuel tankers, and mobile repair shops.
According to official statements, this military assistance aims to bolster the Mauritanian Armed Forces in their fight against illegal immigration, cross-border crime, and terrorism in the Sahel region. It’s worth noting that this collaboration benefits Mauritania as well, given the recent threat from the Polisario Front due to Nouakchott’s growing ties with Rabat. Amid the escalating tensions between France and Algeria, which supports Western Sahara, this assistance seems quite reasonable.
Since the closure of military bases was announced by African leaders rather than Paris, this is a clear sign that Africa is rejecting French policies. Macron now has to deal with the decline of French influence in Francophone Africa – a region long viewed as Paris’ geopolitical backyard. Meanwhile, countries in the Sahel and West Africa are actively forging partnerships with external players like Russia, Türkiye, China, India, and the UAE, moving away from the historical connections that once tied them to Europe.
