In the next few months, several hundred French soldiers are to be withdrawn from Gabon, Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire, Le Monde reports.
At most French bases in these countries, the process of reducing the number of military personnel has already begun, but it is expected to accelerate this year.
Until recently, the bases in Libreville and Dakar, the capitals of Gabon and Senegal, had 350 French troops, and in the capital of Côte d’Ivoire, Abidjan, 950 soldiers.
Under the plans, the number of French troops in the capitals of Gabon, Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire could be reduced to about 100 in each of the three cities, with them mainly in support roles.
The Elysée Palace said that the strategy of reducing France’s military presence in Africa had been on the cards since February 2023, which the French President Emmanuel Macron announced on the eve of a tour of the continent. The Elysée Palace officials said:
“There’s no change of axis. But there are factors that led to progress being made. We want to move away from a model where we had a significant presence in the capitals to a much smaller footprint.”
The French President’s Office reports that the size of the French contingent in these countries will change from time to time, depending on the “needs of the partners” at any given time.
At the same time, the French contingent in Djibouti and Chad (1,500 soldiers in each country) will remain unchanged.
