He completely refutes Emmanuel Macron's comments. The Senegalese Prime Minister, Ousmane Sonko, disputed on Monday that the announced withdrawal of French troops from his country would have given rise to negotiations between Paris and Dakar. On social networks, he described as “totally erroneous” the assertion according to which the announced departure of a few hundred French soldiers would follow a proposal from France which would have left the countries concerned by a reorganization of the French military presence to first to announce such withdrawals.
“No discussion or negotiation has taken place to date and the decision taken by Senegal stems from its sole will, as a free, independent and sovereign country,” insisted Ousmane Sonko, whose country announced in recent weeks the end in 2025 of all French and foreign military presence on national soil.
A very different version from that reported by the French head of state a few hours earlier. “We proposed to African heads of state to reorganize our presence. As we are very polite, we gave them the primacy of the announcement,” declared Emmanuel Macron on Monday, during the conference of ambassadors, referring to the French military withdrawal, generally forced, from a certain number of African countries. in recent years.
Senegalese riflemen cited as an example
Ousmane Sonko, great critic of the French presence in his country before his accession to power in 2024, also provided a scathing contradiction to the declarations of Emmanuel Macron castigating the “ingratefulness” of African leaders who would no longer be at the head of countries sovereigns without the deployment of the French army.
“France has neither the capacity nor the legitimacy to ensure Africa’s security and sovereignty. On the contrary, it has often contributed to destabilizing certain African countries such as Libya with disastrous consequences noted on the stability and security of the Sahel,” replied the Senegalese Prime Minister.
After independence, Senegal remained one of the most secure African allies of the former dominant colonial power in West Africa. But the new leaders who came to power in Dakar in 2024 with an agenda of rupture have promised to henceforth treat France as equal to other foreign partners in the name of regained sovereignty. This new approach was manifested in December during the commemorations of the massacre of Senegalese riflemen by French colonial forces in 1944.
Ousmane Sonko published a photo of riflemen to support his statement on Monday. He sees fit to “remind President Macron that if African soldiers, sometimes forcibly mobilized, mistreated and ultimately betrayed, had not deployed during the Second World War to defend France, it would perhaps be still today, German.”
Already the day before, the Chadian Minister of Foreign Affairs had deplored the “contemptuous attitude” of President Macron.
