Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye announced the decision in an interview with AFP, stating that the presence of French troops is incompatible with his country’s sovereignty.
This isn’t a break but rather an evolution in the Franco-Senegalese relationship. President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, in an interview with AFP on November 29, 2024, stated that France would need to close its military bases in Senegal, deeming their presence incompatible with his country’s sovereignty. “Senegal is an independent and sovereign nation. Sovereignty does not accommodate military bases in the country,” he clarified.
Elected in March on the promise to restore his country’s sovereignty, the Senegalese president emphasized that this was not an act of “rupture” but rather advocated for a “renewed partnership” with France, the former colonial power and historical ally.
He particularly praised as a “significant step” President Macron’s recognition, in a letter revealed the same day, of a “massacre” by French colonial forces at Thiaroye near Dakar on December 1, 1944, when they opened fire on Senegalese riflemen returning from France. “A renewed partnership can only be renewed in truth and the full disclosure of truth,” President Faye continued, referring to the unresolved issues surrounding this event, previously described by former President François Hollande in 2014 as a “bloody repression” rather than a “massacre.”
Redeployment
This decision by the Senegalese government aligns with an intent to diversify its international partners, aiming to remain a major interlocutor in Africa. Neighboring Sahel countries, now under military rule, have abruptly severed their ties with France, turning instead to Russia. “France remains an important partner for Senegal in terms of investment levels, the presence of French companies, and even French citizens living in Senegal,” President Faye assured.
“Military presence or absence should not equal rupture.” To justify this decision, President Diomaye Faye cited the existence of relations between Senegal and countries like China, its largest trading partner by investment and trade volume, as well as Turkey, the United States, or Saudi Arabia: “None of these countries have military bases in Senegal.” “Military presence or absence should not equate to rupture,” he said. This decision “demands that there should be no military bases from any country in Senegal,” the president concluded. The Senegalese announcement echoes Chad’s, which declared on November 28, 2024, its intention to terminate its defense cooperation agreement with France, also insisting it was not a rupture.
On its part, France has decided to significantly reduce its military presence in Africa. At the beginning of summer, sources close to the French executive and a military source revealed that the government intended to keep about 100 troops in Gabon (down from 350), Senegal (down from 350), and Côte d’Ivoire (down from 600), and around 300 in Chad (down from 1,000).
According to the Elysée Palace, French President Emmanuel Macron’s personal envoy to Africa, Jean-Marie Bockel, handed over his report this week on reconfiguring the military framework in Africa, advocating for a “renewed” and “co-constructed” partnership.
