France begins withdrawal process from Senegal by handing over two military bases

France has begun its formal withdrawal procedure from Senegal. On Friday, Paris announced that it had handed back control of two military facilities to the West African country.

The handover follows a declaration by Senegal’s President, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, late last year ordering all foreign troops to leave the country.

“The French side handed over to the Senegalese side the facilities and housing in the Maréchal and Saint-Exupéry districts on Friday, March 7, 2025,” the French Embassy in Senegal said in a statement Friday.

“Located near the Hann Park, these districts were ready to be returned since the summer of 2024.”

Paris set up a joint commission with Dakar last month to organise the withdrawal. The French army recently announced it had dismissed 162 Senegalese who worked on their military bases in the country.

Senegal’s new government has taken a hard-line approach on the presence of French troops as part of a larger regional backlash against many see as the legacy of an oppressive colonial regime.

France has faced opposition from some African leaders over what they labelled as a demeaning and heavy-handed approach to the continent.

Paris has suffered multiple setbacks in recent years in its military presence on the continent, particularly in the West. Chad, Niger and Burkina Faso are among the countries who’ve recently expelled French troops.

France says it is planning to sharply reduce its presence at all it bases in Africa – including the 350 troops in Senegal – with an exception to Djibouti. It says it could instead provide defence training or targeted military support, based on the needs of each individual country.