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.
In addition, Senegal, which announced last month that France would have to close its military bases on its territory, 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.
France, whose colonial rule in West Africa ended in the 1960s, has already withdrawn its troops from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger after military coups in those countries and growing anti-French sentiment.
The government of Chad – a key Western ally in the fight against Islamic militants in the region – abruptly ended its defense cooperation pact with France in November.
Senegalese President Bassirou Dioumaye Faye said: “I have instructed the Minister of the Armed Forces to propose a new doctrine for defense and security cooperation, including, among other consequences, the end of all foreign military presence in Senegal from 2025.”
Faye was elected in March on a promise to secure sovereignty and end dependence on foreign countries.
France will maintain a small presence in Gabon.
More than three decades after independence from France, the Ivory Coast (also known by the French name Côte d’Ivoire) was known for its religious and ethnic harmony, as well as its well-developed economy.
This West African country is praised as a model of stability. But an armed insurgency in 2002 split the nation in two. Peace agreements alternated with renewed violence as the country slowly moved closer to a political solution to the conflict.
Despite the instability, Côte d’Ivoire is the world’s largest exporter of cocoa beans, and its citizens enjoy a relatively high level of income compared to other countries in the region.
