IVORY Coast has announced that French troops will withdraw from the West African nation, further reducing the military influence of the former colonial power in the region.
In an end-of-year address, Ivory Coast’s President, Alassane Ouattara, said the move was a reflection of the modernisation of the country’s armed forces.
Separately, Senegal, which last month announced France would have to close its military bases on its territory, confirmed the withdrawal would be completed by the end of 2025.
Ivory Coast is home to the biggest remaining contingent of French troops in West Africa.
There are some 600 French military personnel in the country with 350 in Senegal.
“We have decided in a concerted manner to withdraw French forces from the Ivory Coast,” President Ouattara said.
He added that the military infantry battalion of Port Bouét that is run by the French army would be handed over to Ivorian troops.
France, whose colonial rule in West Africa ended in the 1960s, has already pulled its soldiers out of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger following 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 defence co-operation pact with France in November.
Senegalese President Bassirou Dioumaye Faye said: “I have instructed the minister for the armed forces to propose a new doctrine for co-operation in defence and security, involving, among other consequences, the end of all foreign military presences in Senegal from 2025.”
Faye was elected in March on a promise to deliver sovereignty and end dependence on foreign countries.
France will retain a small presence in Gabon.
Military leaders of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have moved closer to Russia since kicking out French troops from their countries.
Russia then deployed mercenaries across the Sahel to help them fight off jihadist insurgents.
There are indications that France has now got fewer than 2,000 troops in Djibouti and Gabon.
Political watchers believe that France has been making efforts to revive its waning political and military influence in Africa.
The former political power now appears to be devising a new military strategy of downscaling military ties – a measure that would sharply reduce its permanent troop presence on the continent.
For more than three decades after its independence from France, Ivory Coast (also known by its French name, Côte d’Ivoire) was known for its religious and ethnic harmony, as well as its well-developed economy.
The Western African country was hailed as a model of stability. But an armed rebellion in 2002 split the nation in two. Peace deals alternated with renewed violence as the country slowly edged its way towards a political resolution of the conflict.
Despite the instability, Ivory Coast is the world’s largest exporter of cocoa beans, and its citizens enjoy a relatively high level of income compared with other countries in the region.