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Ivory Coast has announced that French troops will withdraw from the West African country, further reducing the former colonial power’s military influence in the region.
In a speech at the end of the year, Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara said the move reflected the modernization of the country’s armed forces.
Separately, Senegal, which announced last month that France was to close its military bases on its territory, confirmed that the withdrawal would be completed by the end of 2025.
Ivory Coast is home to the largest remaining contingent of French troops in West Africa.
There are about 600 French troops in the country, with 350 in Senegal.
France, whose colonial rule in West Africa ended in the 1960s, has already withdrawn its soldiers from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger after military coups in those countries and rising anti-French sentiment.
The government of Chad – a key Western ally in the fight against Islamic militants in the region – abruptly ended its defense cooperation treaty with France in November.
Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaille Fay said: “I have instructed the Minister of the Armed Forces to propose a new doctrine for defense and security cooperation, including, among other consequences, the end of all foreign military presence in Senegal from 2025.”
Fay was elected in March on a promise to secure sovereignty and end dependence on foreign countries.
France will maintain a small presence in Gabon.
For more than three decades after gaining independence from France, Côte d’Ivoire (also known by its French name Côte d’Ivoire) was known for its religious and ethnic harmony, as well as a well-developed economy.
The West African country has been hailed as a model of stability. But an armed uprising in 2002 split the nation in two. Peace agreements alternated with renewed violence as the country slowly made its way towards a political solution to the conflict.
Despite its instability, Côte d’Ivoire is the world’s largest exporter of cocoa beans, and its citizens have relatively high incomes compared to other countries in the region.
