By Rorisang Modiba
- France agreed to remove all 350 soldiers from Senegal by the end of 2025 after the new president demanded they leave.
- More African countries pushed out French troops as they tried to break free from their former colonial ruler.
France will pull out all its soldiers from Senegal by December after the West African nation’s new president said foreign troops had no place in his country.
About 350 French soldiers will leave Senegal and hand back their military bases. Both countries agreed to the plan on Wednesday and will work together to ensure everything goes smoothly.
Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye asked France to remove its troops in November. He said having foreign army bases went against Senegal’s freedom as a nation.
The decision came as Senegal marked 80 years since French colonial forces killed many West African soldiers in 1944.
French President Emmanuel Macron wrote to Faye, admitting France was wrong about the killings.
More African countries that were once ruled by France are now pushing French soldiers out.
Chad and Ivory Coast have already asked French troops to leave.
Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger forced thousands of French soldiers to leave after their armies took over their governments in 2022.
These changes show how African countries are breaking away from France’s influence and trying to stand on their own.
Pictured above: Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne met with Amadou Ba, Foreign Affairs Minister of Senegal, to discuss our bilateral relations and regional issues.
Image source: @francediplo_EN
