In February 2023, when French forces had just ended their presence in the Central African Republic and completed their withdrawal from Mali before doing the same in Burkina Faso, President Macron announced that France was going to implement a new strategy for Africa, which was to result in a “visible reduction” of its military presence as well as the establishment of partnerships involving a “rise in power” of African forces.
Since then, following a putsch, Niger denounced the military agreements it had sealed with France… And Chad recently did the same. In addition, Senegal is not far from following suit. And this despite recent announcements on drastic reductions in the number of French forces prepositioned in Africa, these having to go from 2,300 to only 600 soldiers. [300 au Tchad, 100 au Gabon, 100 en Côte d’Ivoire et 100 au Sénégal].
During a parliamentary hearing in January 2024, the chief of staff of the armed forces [CEMA]General Thierry Burkhard, had justified this development.
“We have bases in Senegal, Chad, Ivory Coast and Gabon. They are installed in capitals, and sometimes even isolated in expanding urban areas. Their footprint and visibility have become difficult to manage. We will undoubtedly have to modify our implementation plan to reduce our vulnerabilities” according to the formula “less posed, less exposed”, he said.
However, security issues, such as terrorism, trafficking and strategic competition with Russia, China, Turkey and Iran, have not disappeared, the CEMA defended the need to maintain “relations with local military authorities” and “guarantee strategic access by sea and air”.
During his visit to the armies in Djibouti on December 20, President Macron argued that such a development was necessary.
“Our role is changing in Africa […] because the world is changing in Africa, because public opinions are changing, because governments are changing” and [aussi] “because we sovereignly decided in February 2023, after several years of progressive change, to rebuild a partnership based on respected partners”, “to whom we must help with training, equipment , in intelligence, for specific operations,” said Mr. Macron.
And added that it was necessary to “change the logic that was ours in too many countries” with “installed, plethoric, permanent bases, which fueled ambiguities”.
Hence the announcement made by the Ivorian President, Alassane Ouattara, on December 31. “We can be proud of our army whose modernization is now effective. It is within this framework that we decided on the concerted and organized withdrawal of French forces in Côte d’Ivoire,” he declared. “Thus, the camp of the 43rd BIMA, the Port-Bouët marine infantry battalion, will be handed over to the armed forces of Côte d’Ivoire from this month of January 2025,” he continued.
Once it has been handed over, the Port-Bouët camp will be named after General Thomas d’Aquin Ouattara, who was the first chief of staff of the Ivorian armies.
As a reminder, following the White Paper on defense and national security [LBDSN] in 2008, it was decided to maintain only two permanent bases in Africa, namely one in Gabon and another in Djibouti. Also, the 43rd BIMa was dissolved in 2009. Then, after the intervention in Mali, in 2013, Jean-Yves Le Drian, then Minister of Defense, reversed this decision and announced the creation of the “French Forces in Côte d ‘Ivory’ [FFCI]. Which was logical, Port-Bouët offering the advantage of providing access to an airport and a deep water port. And this within the framework of a defense agreement revised in 2012 and ratified two years later.
In any case, Mr. Ouattara’s announcement does not put an end to military cooperation between French and Ivorian forces. In November, the Air & Space Force deployed around ten aircraft in Ivory Coast [A400M, Casa CN-235, C-130J, ALSR « Vador », hélicoptère Fennec, A330 MRTT et un 3 Mirage 2000D] to take part in an air-land exercise organized for the benefit of the Ivorian airborne troops.
Furthermore, the French Elements in Senegal, whose strength was to be reduced to 100 soldiers, should soon disappear.
In a speech given on the occasion of the New Year, the Senegalese President, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, said he had “instructed the Minister of the Armed Forces to propose a new doctrine of cooperation in matters of defense and security, involving, between other consequences, the end of all military presences of foreign countries in Senegal, from 2025.” And to promise that “all friends of Senegal will be treated as strategic partners, within the framework of open, diversified and uninhibited cooperation”
Photo: Ministry of the Armed Forces
