Senegal and Chad say ousting of French troops was their sovereign decision
Trending News
1 day, 20 hours ago

Senegal and Chad say ousting of French troops was their sovereign decision

Associated Press  

DAKAR, Senegal — Senegalese and Chadian leaders said that the ousting of French troops from their territories was their sovereign decision, rejecting remarks from French President Emmanuel Macron that suggested otherwise. Macron said Monday at an annual meeting of foreign ambassadors that France had “proposed to the African heads of state to reorganize our presence.” He added, “As we are very polite, we have given them the priority of the announcement.” Senegal’s Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko wrote on X late Monday, “I would like to say that, in the case of Senegal, this assertion is totally erroneous.” “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,” Sonko added. In 2023, Macron promised a “new security partnership” with reduced numbers of French troops on the continent in a process he said would be based on needs expressed by African partners. “French leaders need to learn to respect the African people and to recognize the value of their sacrifices.” He added that the 60 years of French presence in Chad “has often been limited to its own strategic interests, without any real lasting impact on the development of the Chadian people.” Since the independence of French colonies in Africa, Paris has maintained a policy of economic, political and military sway which at the time had been dubbed Françafrique, including having thousands of permanent troops in the region.

France Africa French Paris Macron Troops Chad Senegal Chadian French Troops  african  say  decision  sovereign  chad  africa  chadian  senegal  presence  added  ousting  troops  french  taken  paris

History of this topic

Macron’s claim that Africans failed to say ‘thank you’ for French military aid sparks outrage
2 days, 11 hours ago

Macron’s claim that Africans failed to say ‘thank you’ for French military aid sparks outrage

CNN  

CNN — African governments have criticized a speech by French President Emmanuel Macron in which he said that some leaders showed “ingratitude” for the deployment of his nation’s troops in the Sahel region in battling Islamist extremism. “Ingratitude, I am well placed to know, is a disease not transmissible to man.” Macron’s comments were denounced by Chad’s foreign affairs minister, …

Frexit: Why Ivory Coast is joining African campaign to expel French troops
Trending News
6 days, 11 hours ago

Frexit: Why Ivory Coast is joining African campaign to expel French troops

Al Jazeera  

French military troops who have been in Ivory Coast for decades will soon be leaving, Ivorian officials have said, signalling more diplomatic setbacks for France amid local resentment that has caused one-time allies in West and Central Africa to sever ties with Paris. President Alassane Ouattara’s announcement on Tuesday puts Ivory Coast on a growing list of African countries cutting …

Africa on ‘France Out’ campaign, ally Ivory Coast latest to join the bandwagon
1 week ago

Africa on ‘France Out’ campaign, ally Ivory Coast latest to join the bandwagon

Firstpost  

In recent months, six African countries have asked France to withdraw their troops, significantly curtailing France’s influence in the region that it had traditionally had a sway in Ivory Coast has become the latest African country to join the ‘France Out’ campaign. Despite years of counter-insurgency activities, at least six countries have asked France to withdraw soldiers: Ivory Coast, Chad, …

Ivory Coast Joins West African Nations Asking French Troops to Leave
1 week, 1 day ago

Ivory Coast Joins West African Nations Asking French Troops to Leave

Live Mint  

-- Ivory Coast’s president announced the withdrawal of French troops from the country, joining a growing number of francophone states that have asked the former colonial power to relinquish its military presence in West Africa. Paris’s remaining permanent military bases in Ivory Coast, Senegal and Gabon have become “major political vulnerabilities” for Paris and for their African host governments, according …

Ivory Coast says French troops to leave country after decades
1 week, 1 day ago

Ivory Coast says French troops to leave country after decades

Al Jazeera  

Ivory Coast is the latest West African nation to expel troops of former colonial power after Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. Ivory Coast has announced that French troops will leave the country this month after a decades-long military presence, becoming the latest African nation to downscale military ties with its former coloniser. In an end-of-year address to the nation on …

Ivory Coast asks French troops to leave, the latest African country to do so
1 week, 1 day ago

Ivory Coast asks French troops to leave, the latest African country to do so

Live Mint  

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — Ivory Coast announced on Tuesday that French troops will leave the country after a decadeslong military presence, the latest African nation to downscale military ties with its former colonial power. France has suffered similar setbacks in several West African countries in recent years, including Chad, Niger and Burkina Faso, where French troops that have been on …

Ivory Coast asks French troops to leave, the latest African country to do so
Top News
1 week, 1 day ago

Ivory Coast asks French troops to leave, the latest African country to do so

Associated Press  

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — Ivory Coast announced on Tuesday that French troops will leave the country after a decadeslong military presence, the latest African nation to downscale military ties with its former colonial power. Analysts have described the requests for French troops to leave Africa as part of the wider structural transformation in the region’s engagement with Paris. France has …

Why African countries are ousting France’s military, one by one
2 weeks, 3 days ago

Why African countries are ousting France’s military, one by one

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “Chad’s decision marks the final nail in the coffin …

France's military is being ousted from more African countries. Here's why
2 weeks, 6 days ago

France's military is being ousted from more African countries. Here's why

Deccan Chronicle  

Dakar: It's been a tumultuous month for France and its relationship with former colonies in Africa, as its influence on the continent faces the biggest challenge in decades. “Chad’s decision marks the final nail in the coffin of France’s post-colonial military dominance in the entire Sahel region,” said Mucahid Durmaz, a senior analyst at global risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft, referring …

France’s military is being ousted from more African countries. Here’s why
2 weeks, 6 days ago

France’s military is being ousted from more African countries. Here’s why

Associated Press  

DAKAR, Senegal — It’s been a tumultuous month for France and its relationship with former colonies in Africa, as its influence on the continent faces the biggest challenge in decades. “Chad’s decision marks the final nail in the coffin of France’s post-colonial military dominance in the entire Sahel region,” said Mucahid Durmaz, a senior analyst at global risk consultancy Verisk …

Is Francafrique ending? Why Senegal is cutting military ties with France
3 weeks, 3 days ago

Is Francafrique ending? Why Senegal is cutting military ties with France

Al Jazeera  

A wave of African countries is pushing the former coloniser back, but Senegal is the only one without a military government in power. In Senegal, a country bustling with French-owned businesses and nationals, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s recent announcement that France should shut down its military bases should have come as a surprise. Beverly Ochieng, a Dakar-based researcher with intelligence …

Macron's apology key step towards reconciliation between France and Senegal as Senegal honours victims of 1944 massacre
Trending News
1 month, 1 week ago

Macron's apology key step towards reconciliation between France and Senegal as Senegal honours victims of 1944 massacre

Firstpost  

French troops have been ousted in recent years from Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso after years of fighting Islamic extremists alongside regional troops. Earlier this week, Chad, one of the last countries in the region in which France had maintained a large military presence, ended a military cooperation agreement with Paris Biram Senghor regularly goes to pay his respects at …

For first time, France's Macron calls 1944 killings of West African troops by French massacre
1 month, 1 week ago

For first time, France's Macron calls 1944 killings of West African troops by French massacre

Deccan Chronicle  

Dakar : French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday for the first time recognised the killing of West African soldiers by the French Army in 1944 as a massacre in a letter addressed to the Senegalese authorities. Macron's move, on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the World War II killings in Thiaroye - a fishing village on the outskirts …

Chad ends a defense cooperation agreement with its former colonial ruler France
Trending News
1 month, 1 week ago

Chad ends a defense cooperation agreement with its former colonial ruler France

Associated Press  

DAKAR, Senegal — Chad’s government said it was ending a defense cooperation agreement with France in order to redefine the nation’s sovereignty from its former colonial ruler. The decision marks a historic turning point since the Central African nation gained independence more than six decades ago, foreign ministry spokesperson Abderaman Koulamallah said in a statement Thursday. Chad was one of …

Chad ends military cooperation with France
1 month, 1 week ago

Chad ends military cooperation with France

Al Jazeera  

As Sahel nations move closer to Russia, Chad’s top diplomat says country is ‘very jealous of its sovereignty’. Chad has said it is ending its defence cooperation agreement with former colonial power France, a move that will require French soldiers to leave the Central African country. Foreign Minister Abderaman Koulamallah called France “an essential partner” but said it “must now …

For the first time, France’s Macron calls 1944 killings of West African troops by French as massacre
1 month, 1 week ago

For the first time, France’s Macron calls 1944 killings of West African troops by French as massacre

Associated Press  

DAKAR, Senegal — French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday for the first time recognized the killing of West African soldiers by the French Army in 1944 as a massacre in a letter addressed to the Senegalese authorities. Macron’s move, on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the World War II killings in Thiaroye — a fishing village on the …

Au revoir, Sahel: Did 2023 crush France’s influence in Africa?
1 year ago

Au revoir, Sahel: Did 2023 crush France’s influence in Africa?

Al Jazeera  

France’s hold on its African allies significantly shrunk in 2023. February: French troops pull out of Burkina Faso Following the departure of its 4,500-strong Operation Barkhane force from Mali in August 2022, French troops also pulled out of neighbouring Burkina Faso this February. Not only had some of the French troops exiting Mali in 2022 been resettled in Niger, but …

Last set of French troops exit Niger as Sahel sheds Parisian influence
1 year ago

Last set of French troops exit Niger as Sahel sheds Parisian influence

Al Jazeera  

The exit is the third time in 18 months that French troops have been sent packing from a country in the Sahel. The last French troops in Niger have withdrawn, marking an end to more than a decade of French operations to fight armed groups in West Africa’s Sahel region. “Today’s date … marks the end of the disengagement process …

France completes withdrawal of troops from northern base in Niger as part of planned departure
1 year, 2 months ago

France completes withdrawal of troops from northern base in Niger as part of planned departure

Associated Press  

DAKAR, Senegal — France has completed the withdrawal of troops from a northern base in Niger as part of a planned departure from the West African country in the wake of July’s military coup. Nearly 200 troops, 28 trucks and two dozen armored vehicles left the Ouallam military base, which has been handed to Niger, a junta spokesman, Col. Maj. …

French troops are starting to withdraw from Niger and junta leaders give UN head 72 hours to leave
1 year, 2 months ago

French troops are starting to withdraw from Niger and junta leaders give UN head 72 hours to leave

Associated Press  

COTONOU, Benin — French troops have started leaving Niger more than two months after mutinous soldiers toppled the African country’s democratically elected president, the military said Wednesday. The military rulers had wanted Niger’s former ambassador to the United Nations, Bakary Yaou Sangare, who was made foreign minister after the coup, to speak on its behalf at the General Assembly. However, …

Niger junta accuses France of amassing forces for a military intervention after the coup in July
1 year, 3 months ago

Niger junta accuses France of amassing forces for a military intervention after the coup in July

The Hindu  

Niger's new military leaders accused France of amassing forces for a possible military intervention in the country following the coup in July. Niger's junta spokesman, Maj. Amadou Abdramane, said that France is also considering collaborating in such an intervention with the Economic Community of West African States, a regional bloc known as ECOWAS. “France continues to deploy its forces in …

Niger junta accuses France of amassing forces for a military intervention after the coup in July
1 year, 3 months ago

Niger junta accuses France of amassing forces for a military intervention after the coup in July

Associated Press  

ABUJA, Nigeria — Niger’s new military leaders accused France of amassing forces for a possible military intervention in the country following the coup in July. Niger’s junta spokesman, Maj. Amadou Abdramane, said that France is also considering collaborating in such an intervention with the Economic Community of West African States, a regional bloc known as ECOWAS. “France continues to deploy …

Niger junta accuses France of amassing forces for a military intervention after the coup in July
1 year, 3 months ago

Niger junta accuses France of amassing forces for a military intervention after the coup in July

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Niger's new military leaders accused …

France’s waning influence in coup-hit Africa appears clear while few remember their former colonizer
1 year, 4 months ago

France’s waning influence in coup-hit Africa appears clear while few remember their former colonizer

Associated Press  

DAKAR, Senegal — When Gabon’s longtime leader was detained in the latest coup in Africa last week, France condemned the takeover but did little to intervene — despite having hundreds of troops in the country. “France stirs up conflict in Central African Republic and is putting pressure on authorities to not bring forth real development policies,” said Anicet L’appel, publisher …

EU examines its training of African armies as another coup rocks the continent
1 year, 4 months ago

EU examines its training of African armies as another coup rocks the continent

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

Mutinous soldiers in Niger sever French military ties while ''hostage'' president pleads for US help
1 year, 5 months ago

Mutinous soldiers in Niger sever French military ties while ''hostage'' president pleads for US help

The Hindu  

Niger's military junta says it is severing military agreements with France, its former colonial ruler, firing some of the previous government's key ambassadors and warning citizens of the West African nation to watch for foreign Armies and spies. With two days remaining before a deadline set by the West African regional bloc to release and reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum or …

VP Harris to meet Ghana's president as she begins Africa trip
1 year, 9 months ago

VP Harris to meet Ghana's president as she begins Africa trip

Firstpost  

Nana Akufo-Addo oversaw one of the world’s fast-growing economies before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the cost of food and other necessities has been skyrocketing, and the country is facing a debt crisis as it struggles to make payments US Vice President Kamala Harris will meet Monday with Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo, a show of support for the West African leader …

What’s behind the French leader’s visit to central Africa?
1 year, 10 months ago

What’s behind the French leader’s visit to central Africa?

Al Jazeera  

France has already announced it’s scaling down its military presence on the African continent. French President Emmanuel Macron is visiting four nations in central Africa. He’s hoping to regain influence on a continent where the former colonial power now faces competition from other nations, notably China and Russia. France has announced it’s scaling back its military presence on the continent …

Macron: ‘New era’ in economic, military strategy in Africa
1 year, 10 months ago

Macron: ‘New era’ in economic, military strategy in Africa

Associated Press  

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to reduce the number of French troops in Africa under a “new security partnership” with the concerned nations and to roll out more ambitious economic policies, in a bid to boost France’s waning influence in the continent. Macron called for opening a “new era” in a speech at the Elysee presidential palace, ahead …

Burkina Faso's junta chief denies diplomatic split from Paris
1 year, 11 months ago

Burkina Faso's junta chief denies diplomatic split from Paris

Firstpost  

France had special forces based in the capital Ouagadougou, but its presence had come under intense scrutiny as anti-French sentiment in the region grows, with Paris withdrawing its ambassador to Burkina over the junta’s demands Ouagadougou: Burkina Faso’s junta leader said Friday his country had not severed diplomatic ties with France, which he has asked to withdraw its forces, and …

France agrees to withdraw troops from Burkina Faso within a month
1 year, 11 months ago

France agrees to withdraw troops from Burkina Faso within a month

Al Jazeera  

The move comes after the Sahel country’s military rulers demanded that Paris withdraw its forces. France will withdraw its troops from Burkina Faso within a month after the West African country’s military rulers asked it to leave, the French foreign ministry said, in a move that will further reduce its presence in a region facing growing violence from armed groups. …

Burkina Faso ends ties with French troops, orders departure
1 year, 11 months ago

Burkina Faso ends ties with French troops, orders departure

Associated Press  

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — Burkina Faso’s junta government late Saturday ordered hundreds of French troops to depart the West African country within a month, following in the path of neighboring Mali, whose nation is also headed by a coup leader. The move by Burkina Faso’s regime comes five months after France completed its withdrawal from Mali after nine years fighting …

Burkina Faso demands departure of French troops: Report
1 year, 11 months ago

Burkina Faso demands departure of French troops: Report

Al Jazeera  

Burkina Faso’s military government has ordered French troops stationed in the West African country to leave within a month. The decision, announced by the official Agence d’Information du Burkina on Saturday, is the latest sign of deteriorating relations between France and its former colony since a second military coup in September of last year. “Despite their presence on Burkinabe soil …

Last French troops leave Mali, ending nine-year deployment
2 years, 4 months ago

Last French troops leave Mali, ending nine-year deployment

Al Jazeera  

France announced withdrawal in February as relations with Bamako frayed in wake of military coups in 2020 and 2021. France has said its final troops have left Mali, completing a withdrawal that ends a nine-year operation in the country at the centre of the Sahel region’s spiralling security crisis. “Today at 1pm Paris time the final contingent of the Barkhane …

French military: Last group of soldiers has left Mali
2 years, 4 months ago

French military: Last group of soldiers has left Mali

Associated Press  

NICE, France — The last French army unit left Mali on Monday, according to a statement from the French military, nine years after Paris sent troops to the West African country to help drive Islamic extremists from power. France’s armed forces completed their withdrawal from Mali six months after French President Emmanuel Macron announced his plan to pull out of …

France and EU to withdraw troops from Mali, remain in region
2 years, 10 months ago

France and EU to withdraw troops from Mali, remain in region

Associated Press  

PARIS — France announced Thursday that it will no longer have troops in Mali by the summer amid tensions with the country’s ruling military junta, although Paris intends to maintain a military presence in neighboring West African nations. But Malian army spokesman Col. Major Souleymane Dembélé said that despite the presence of French and European forces in Mali, the country …

Uncertainty looms in Mali as France announces troop pullout
2 years, 10 months ago

Uncertainty looms in Mali as France announces troop pullout

Associated Press  

BAMAKO, Mali — France’s announcement Thursday that it will withdraw its troops from Mali was anticipated by many in this West African nation where Malians have protested the presence of soldiers from the former colonial power. He told The Associated Press he heard with regret French President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement Thursday that France will withdraw its military from Mali within …

Timeline: Nine years of French troops in Mali
2 years, 10 months ago

Timeline: Nine years of French troops in Mali

Al Jazeera  

The relationship between France and its former colony has soured over the years as armed non-state actors grew bolder. France and its European allies are pulling their troops out of Mali after the country’s military rule brought in Russian mercenaries and refused to stick to a calendar to hold elections. As part of the operation, some 3,000 French troops operate …

France hosts talks on Mali, intends to withdraw troops
2 years, 10 months ago

France hosts talks on Mali, intends to withdraw troops

Associated Press  

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron met with African and European leaders Wednesday evening in Paris ahead of an expected announcement of the withdrawal of French troops from Mali. The EU this month imposed sanctions on five senior members of Mali’s transitional government, including Prime Minister Choguel Maiga, accusing them of working to obstruct the country’s transition from military to …

Macron expected to announce French withdrawal from Mali
2 years, 10 months ago

Macron expected to announce French withdrawal from Mali

Al Jazeera  

Withdrawal would mark a major strategic shift by France, which has had troops in Mali for nine years. The pullout from Mali, with a redeployment of forces to other countries in the region, amounts to a major strategic shift by France, ending a nine-year mission that successive French presidents had argued was crucial for regional and European security. “If the …

France to pull more than 2,000 troops from Africa’s Sahel region
3 years, 6 months ago

France to pull more than 2,000 troops from Africa’s Sahel region

Al Jazeera  

President Emmanuel Macron tells G5 summit that France will reduce its force to 2,500 to 3,000 troops over the long term. France will soon begin reshaping its military presence in the Sahel region of West Africa and will ultimately halve it, President Emmanuel Macron has said. Reconfiguring French presence France will focus over the next six months on dismantling the …

As France plans to shrink Sahel force, jihadi threat grows
3 years, 6 months ago

As France plans to shrink Sahel force, jihadi threat grows

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

Macron: Barkhane mission ending, French presence to stay in Sahel
3 years, 6 months ago

Macron: Barkhane mission ending, French presence to stay in Sahel

Al Jazeera  

French president says 5,100-strong Operation Barkhane to replaced by new mission supported by other partners. President Emmanuel Macron has said France’s military operation in the violence-hit Sahel region of West Africa will no longer exist in its current form, adding that it will be replaced by another mission of French troops that will further rely on other partners. “The time …

France’s Macron rules out immediate troop drawdown from Sahel
3 years, 10 months ago

France’s Macron rules out immediate troop drawdown from Sahel

Al Jazeera  

French president says rushed exit from volatile region in West Africa would be a mistake, as Chad deploys reinforcements. President Emmanuel Macron has ruled out an immediate drawdown in France’s 5,100-strong Barkhane forces battling armed groups in the Sahel region of West Africa, describing a rushed exit as a mistake. Armed groups affiliated to al-Qaeda and ISIL, once confined to …

France seeks strategy change to reduce troops in West Africa
4 years ago

France seeks strategy change to reduce troops in West Africa

Associated Press  

PARIS — As it pays tribute Thursday to French soldiers killed in Mali and faces questions over a deadly airstrike, France is considering changing its military strategy against Islamic extremists in Africa’s Sahel region — and a possible partial troop pullout. Defense Minister Florence Parly said France will “very likely” reduce its 5,100 troops in the Sahel region, in an …

France says its forces kill 50 Islamic extremists in Mali
4 years, 2 months ago

France says its forces kill 50 Islamic extremists in Mali

Associated Press  

PARIS — French military forces fighting Islamic extremists in West Africa killed more than 50 jihadists and detained four in an operation last week in Mali, French officials said. Defense Minister Florence Parly tweeted Monday night that the French force in the region also confiscated weapons and equipment from the fighters in the operation last Friday, which she said “shows …

Can France defeat armed groups in the Sahel?
4 years, 4 months ago

Can France defeat armed groups in the Sahel?

Al Jazeera  

France pledges to continue fighting armed groups after the killing of French aid workers in Niger. Niger has struggled to cope with years of attacks by armed groups that have launched significant deadly attacks and forced many people from their homes. French prosecutors say a “terror investigation'” is under way, while President Emmanuel Macron chaired a national defence council meeting …

France, Sahel nations to bolster military cooperation
4 years, 11 months ago

France, Sahel nations to bolster military cooperation

Al Jazeera  

French President Macron commits to extra 220 troops in push against fighters in the Sahel. France and five West African states agreed on Monday to combine their military forces under one command structure to fight a growing battle in the Sahel region, with Paris committing an extra 220 troops. French President Emmanuel Macron had called the leaders of Mali, Burkina …

Discover Related