The handover of Camp Geille, France’s largest military installation in Sénégal, and the adjoining air base was conducted in the presence of high-ranking military officials, including Sénégal’s Chief of Staff General Mbaye Cissé and General Pascal Ianni, head of French forces in Africa. These facilities were the last French “elements in Sénégal” (EFS), which until recently comprised around 350 troops conducting joint operations and training with local forces.

France's military footprint in Sénégal had persisted under a series of bilateral defense and cooperation agreements dating back to the nation’s independence in 1960. Although combat units were phased out over time, French instructors continued to operate under a revised 2012 military partnership treaty. Since then, national defense responsibilities have been handled solely by the Sénégalese armed forces.

Sovereignty Agenda Drives Military Exit

The withdrawal stems from a decisive shift in Senegalese policy following the election of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye in April 2024. In November of that year, he announced plans to end all foreign military presence on national soil by 2025, emphasizing that “sovereignty does not coexist with foreign military bases.” While rejecting the notion of a diplomatic break, Faye stressed the goal of a “renewed partnership” with France based on equality.

The French military’s disengagement from Sénégal mirrors its broader strategic retreat from the Sahel, where its forces were expelled—sometimes forcibly—from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger amid rising anti-French sentiment and military coups. Paris now intends to pivot its remaining presence toward Djibouti, which still hosts 1,500 French troops and is envisioned as a staging ground for future missions in Africa.