(SenePlus) – In an interview given to RFI this week, Jean-Marie Bockel, former Secretary of State and Personal Envoy of President Emmanuel Macron for the reconfiguration of the French military system in Africa, reveals the contours of his diplomatic mission, particularly concerning the future of the French military presence in Senegal.
The Senegalese question appears particularly delicate in this matter. While several countries such as Chad, Gabon and Ivory Coast have already been the subject of advanced discussions, Senegal remains on hold. “There were these declarations which did not escape us,” recognizes Jean-Marie Bockel, referring to the remarks of Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko on the incompatibility between national sovereignty and the presence of foreign military bases.
However, the Senegalese position seems more nuanced than it appears. During his visit to Paris on June 20, President Diomaye Faye tempered this approach. “He had the opportunity to tell President Macron, who was talking about the possibility of leaving, that no, that we simply had to give ourselves time to establish a clear position on the future of the military base,” reports the special envoy.
This transformation is part of a broader overhaul of the French military system in Africa. Mr. Bockel specifies: “We must maintain a basic system which allows, in terms of access, logistics, capacity, to increase in strength […] whenever necessary, at the request of the partner.”
France seems to favor a qualitative rather than quantitative approach, as underlined by a quote reported by Mr. Bockel from an African president: “What matters is not the number of French soldiers tomorrow in my base, it is what we will be able to do even better together.”
For Senegal, concrete discussions should begin after the legislative elections in November. “The day after the November election, there will be an important moment when Senegalese officials will be able to say to French officials ‘this is what we want, the time has come to talk about it'”, indicates Jean-Marie Bockel.
The former Secretary of State clearly distinguishes “what can be said in a period of change” and “what can be done the day after an election”, suggesting that Senegal’s final position could be more pragmatic than the declarations initials did not suggest this.