Senegal to close all foreign military bases as it cuts ties with France

Senegal has announced the closure of all foreign military bases, without setting a timeline for the exit of foreign troops.

Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko made the announcement on Friday during a general policy statement to the National Assembly.

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

France’s military and foreign ministry did not immediately respond to the announcement.

President Bassirou Diomaye Faye last month expressed his desire to close the French bases in Senegal.

“Senegal is an independent country, it is a sovereign country, and sovereignty does not accommodate the presence of foreign military bases,” the head of state said in an rare media interview.

This decision to close bases appears to be aimed primarily at France. A former colonial power in much of Africa, France has faced opposition from some African leaders over an alleged demeaning and heavy-handed approach to the continent.

France, which has already left Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, on Thursday confirmed it had pulled its last troops out of the Faya base in Chad.

France’s permanent military presence in Chad “no longer met the expectations and interests of each party” and described the withdrawal as part of a “reconfiguration of its system in Africa” since 2022, the military said.

French officials have said that France aims to sharply reduce its presence at all its bases in Africa except Djibouti. That includes the 350 French troops in Senegal.

France could instead provide defence training or targeted military support based on needs expressed by those countries, according to the officials.

Senegal’s new government, which has been in power for less than a year, has taken a hardline stance on the presence of French troops as part of a larger regional backlash against what many see as the legacy of an oppressive colonial empire.