Senegal: 'Reclaiming Control' as France Completes Military Withdrawal

Intelligence Update

The French military handed over Camp Geille, its largest base in Senegal, along with the Dakar Air Base, to the Senegalese government during a ceremony in Dakar. During the official handover ceremony on 17 July 2025, Pascal Ianni, the Chief of the French command in Africa, said that both the French and Senegalese armies had "defined new objectives" to "give new meaning to the security partnership" between the two countries. The withdrawal is part of a larger decrease in France’s military footprint on the African continent.

Senegal’s efforts to end French influence

The handover is part of the withdrawal process of French forces in Senegal. In March 2025, the key facilities in the Maréchal and Saint-Exupery districts were handed over to Senegalese authorities. Months later, France formally returned a military base in Rufisque, a key node for secure communications along the Atlantic coast.

In 2024, after taking office, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye declared that his government would work towards ending foreign military presence on the country’s territory by 2025. Since gaining independence from France in 1960, France's military had been present in Senegal under military cooperation agreements between the two countries.  Faye also called on France to properly investigate and apologise for its actions in the 1944 massacre of African soldiers who fought for France in World War Two. Members of the Tirailleurs Senegalais unit had been protesting delays in salaries and poor living conditions when colonial soldiers shot them. Macron sent a letter acknowledging the incident. While in opposition, Faye pledged to replace the CFA franc with a national currency when in power.

The CFA franc gives French companies easier access to natural resources in African countries where it is used. Faye says Senegal needed to take back control of its economy. Compared to other Sahelian countries that took a stronger approach, Faye insisted that Senegal would maintain relations with France. Thani Mohamed-Soilihi, Minister Delegate for Francophonie and International Partnerships, visited Dakar in March to strengthen bilateral relations, particularly in terms of cooperation and international partnerships.

Similar pushes on the continent

Over the past few years, French troops have been forced to leave Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, where they were quickly replaced by Russian military support. In Mali, French military operations were suspended in June 2021. Macron later announced the end of the Barkhane anti-jihadist operation, which involved 5,000 troops from Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger. Similarly, Burkina Faso terminated the military agreement in January 2023, after which France withdrew about 400 special forces. In Niger, the military government under General Abdourahamane Tchiani annulled several cooperation agreements with France.

Chad and Ivory Coast also recently ended security agreements with France. In February 2025, France officially transferred control of its only military base in Ivory Coast, the 43rd Marine Infantry Battalion (BIMA) camp in Abidjan. Chad terminated its defence cooperation agreement with France in 2024 and completed its withdrawal from the Sergeant Adji Kossei base in N’Djamena in 2025.

In January 2025, French President Emmanuel Macron indicated that “France is not retreating in Africa” but rather “reorganising." Macron said that African leaders had “forgotten to say thank you to France” for its military support in their fight against jihadism, which sparked controversy. He also rejected the notion that it had been forced to withdraw from Africa. In response, Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko said that France had “often contributed to destabilising certain African countries such as Libya, with disastrous consequences for the stability and security of the Sahel." 

Why the shift?

France’s latest withdrawal adds to the growing wave of anti-colonial sentiments and perceived threats to sovereignty, particularly towards France across Africa. Anti-French protests were organised in Mali, Senegal, Niger and Burkina Faso as protesters demanded the departure of French troops and a reassertion of national sovereignty. In 2021, several French-owned businesses were torched and looted during mass demonstrations in Senegal.

The perceived ineffectiveness of French military interventions in jihadist-hit areas also contributed to the wave. After failures and unpopular interventions in the Sahel, France has been winding down direct military involvement. According to the Global Terrorism Index (GTI), the Sahel region is the "epicentre of global terrorism" and accounts for "over half of all terrorism-related deaths.” Most of the attacks are linked to the Islamic State group affiliate in the Sahel and Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM) - a branch of al-Qaeda.

President Macron acknowledged the growing shift, stating that France’s role in Africa was “evolving because the world in Africa is evolving – public opinion is changing, and governments are changing.”

 Way Ahead

The reduction of French military presence comes amid an increase in Russian influence in the region. After the withdrawal of French forces, the juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger strengthened their ties with Russia, working hand-in-hand with Russian mercenaries to curb insurgency operations in the Sahel. Wagner troops deployed to Mali since December 2021 withdrew and were replaced by the Africa Corps, an organisation managed by the Russian government. In June 2025, Mali’s Assimi Goïta met Russian President Vladimir Putin during a five-day official visit to Moscow to bolster their economic and trade relations.  Currently, 350 French troops remain in Gabon, where the army has turned its base into a camp shared with Gabonese authorities. France also plans to reposition its military headquarters for Africa in Djibouti, where it currently maintains around 1,500 personnel.