(SenePlus) – Senegal is preparing to permanently close the last French bases on its territory. According to information from RFI, this major decision will take effect in September 2025, marking the end of a permanent French military presence in this West African country.
This deadline was raised during a courtesy visit by General Pascal Ianni, head of the Africa Command, to the Senegalese chief of staff, General Mbaye Cissé, last week. Although the timetable has not yet been definitively decided, September 2025 appears to be the preferred time frame for the handover of Camp Geille, the last major French military base in Senegal, to the Senegalese armed forces.
The French military presence in Senegal currently has more than 200 soldiers and their families stationed at Camp Geille, located in the Ouakam district in downtown Dakar, as well as around twenty personnel on the Rufisque base, on the outskirts of the capital. As a French military source cited by RFI explains, the choice of September can be explained by practical considerations: “Transfer movements within the army take place in the summer” and “family and logistical reasons” justify this period.
The disengagement process is already underway, since three other French military bases – the Maréchal and Saint-Exupéry bases near the port, as well as the Protet base in the Senegalese naval enclosure – are already empty and closed since the first half of 2024, according to statements by the French army to RFI.
-The future of Franco-Senegalese military relations remains to be defined. Technical discussions are due to resume soon, although no date has yet been set. Both parties say they are confident, but the main issue now lies in defining the future modalities of military cooperation between the two countries.
This decision is part of a broader context of reconfiguration of the French military presence in Africa, marking a new chapter in relations between France and its former territories on the African continent.
Senegal
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