Ivory Coast has announced that French troops will withdraw from the West African nation, further reducing the former colonial power’s military influence in the region.
In a year-end address, Ivory Coast’s president, Alassane Ouattara, said the move reflected the modernization of the country’s armed forces.
Separately, Senegal, which announced last month that France would have to close its military bases on its soil, confirmed that the withdrawal would be completed by the end of 2025.
Ivory Coast is home to the largest remaining contingent of French troops in West Africa.
There are about 600 French military personnel in the country, with 350 in Senegal.
President Ouattara said that we have decided concretely to withdraw French forces from Ivory Coast.
He added that the military infantry battalion of Port Boite, operated by the French army, would be handed over to Ivorian troops.
France, whose colonial rule in West Africa ended in the 1960s, has already withdrawn troops from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger after military coups and growing anti-French sentiment in those countries.
Chad’s government – a key Western ally in the fight against Islamist militants in the region – abruptly ended its defense cooperation agreement with France in November.
Senegalese President Bassirou Dioumaye Faye said: “I have instructed the Minister of the Armed Forces to propose a new vision for cooperation in defense and security, which would, among other outcomes, require all foreign troops in Senegal from 2025. including cessation of presence.”
Fay was elected in March on a promise to provide autonomy and end dependence on foreign countries.
France will maintain a small presence in Gabon.
The military leaders of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have drawn closer to Russia since the expulsion of French troops from their countries.
Russia then deployed mercenaries across the Sohel to help them fight jihadist rebels.
There are indications that France now has less than 2,000 troops in Djibouti and Gabon.
Political observers believe that France is trying to restore its declining political and military influence in Africa.
The former political power now appears to be devising a new military strategy to reduce military ties – a move that will sharply reduce its permanent military presence on the continent.
For more than three decades after independence from France, Ivory Coast (also known by its French name, Côte d’Ivoire) was known for its religious and ethnic harmony as well as its developed economy.
The West African country was hailed as a model of stability. But in 2002, an armed coup split the country in two. Peace agreements have been replaced by renewed violence as the country slowly moves towards a political solution to the conflict.
Despite the instability, Ivory Coast is the world’s largest exporter of cocoa beans, and its citizens enjoy relatively high incomes compared to other countries in the region.