Why Ivory Coast, Senegal asked French troops to leave

French President Emmanuel Macron celebrates with French soldiers during a Christmas dinner at Port-Bouet military camp near Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Dec. 21, 2019, during a visit to West Africa. [VOA] In a major shift in West Africa's security landscape, Ivory Coast and Senegal, regional economic powerhouses, have ordered France to remove its troops from their territories. The withdrawals will mark the effective end of a decadeslong military presence by France in Senegal and Ivory Coast. But why is this happening? Geoffroy Julien Kouao, an Ivorian political scientist, explained that it is part of a broader strategy by African nations wanting to forge new partnerships. "I think that African politicians want to diversify their relations, especially with the countries of the global south, such as China, Turkey, Brazil, the Arab monarchies of the Gulf, but also with Russia," he said. Ivory Coast and Senegal are following in the footsteps of Sahel countries that are fighting a war against jihadis linked to Islamic State and al-Qaida. After almost 10 years of French military involvement failed to stop escalating terrorist violence in the Sahel, the former colonial power began removing its troops from the region in 2022. "Coastal countries like Senegal and Ivory Coast are part of the new dynamic initiated by the Sahel states, such as Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Chad," Kouao said. "These countries are looking for more sovereignty and above all [politicians] don't want to go against public opinion, which favors the departure of French troops." Public opinion in West Africa has become critical of French and Western military presence in the region. Many see it as a continuation of colonial ties. It has even become the source of debunked conspiracy theories that France is supporting terrorist groups. Rinaldo Depagne, West Africa project director for the International Crisis Group, doubts the French military departure will improve security in Senegal and Ivory Coast, which border the Sahel countries and have seen terrorist attacks spilling over from them. "The expansion of jihadism in the north of the coastal countries has been slow, but fairly constant since 2020," Depagne said. "It is not certain that the departure of French troops, and more broadly of foreign troops, will make a big difference, except perhaps in terms of information." Asked if Senegal and Ivory Coast could seek military partnerships with Russia, as some Sahel countries have, Depagne said that the presence of French troops in the Sahel between 2013 and 2022 did not restore security, and the Russian troops currently engaged in the Sahel haven't done any better. He said that this is largely because the solution to Sahelian armed jihadism is not only military but also political. Analyst Andrew Lebovich, a research fellow at the Clingendael Institute in the Netherlands, noted that as French troops departed West Africa, Francecontinues to train troops fighting terrorism. "Certainly, French troops are going to remain involved in training and cooperation in Cote d'Ivoire, in Benin, likely in a few other places, so it's not an end to the post-colonial military presence, but it certainly is an important shift," he said. Other Western nations are offering military assistance to coastal West African countries. The U.S. will hold its annual West African military exercise, Flintlock, in Ivory Coast this year.

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Why Ivory Coast, Senegal asked French troops to leave

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