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 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 to the arid region south of the Sahara. The decisions by Senegal and Chad “are part of the wider structural transformation in the region’s engagement with France, in which Paris political and military influence continues to diminish,” Durmaz added. But three French top officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive talks with the concerned countries, said France aimed for a sharp reduction of its military in all its bases in Africa except the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti — where Macron is expected to travel in the coming days. The officials said it doesn’t mean France would necessarily reduce military cooperation but instead would respond to needs expressed by countries.

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History of this topic

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 …

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
6 days, 23 hours 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 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 …

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 …

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 …

What’s Macron playing at? His macho posturing is a danger to us all
9 months, 2 weeks ago

What’s Macron playing at? His macho posturing is a danger to us all

The Independent  

Not being a fan of concepts such as male menopause and mid-life crisis, I can nonetheless quite understand the temptation to reach for such explanations in the light of recent sights and statements coming from Paris. The most serious proof of a French change in policy, however, was Macron’s suggestion that Western boots could, and perhaps should, be on the …

Sending combat troops to Ukraine 'not on table': French minister
10 months ago

Sending combat troops to Ukraine 'not on table': French minister

The Hindu  

The deployment of Western combat troops to fight against Russia on the ground in Ukraine is not on the table but new ways need to be found to battle the Russian invasion, France's defence minister said on Friday. French President Emmanuel Macron last month sent shockwaves around Ukraine when he refused to rule out any option in the conflict, including …

Niger’s junta revokes key security agreements with EU and turns to Russia for defense partnership
1 year, 1 month ago

Niger’s junta revokes key security agreements with EU and turns to Russia for defense partnership

Associated Press  

ABUJA, Nigeria — Niger’s junta on Monday scrapped two key military agreements that the West African nation signed with the European Union to help fight the violence in Africa’s Sahel region as the country’s army leaders and a senior Russian defense official discussed military cooperation. Before the coup that deposed the country’s president, Mohamed Bazoum, Niger had been the West …

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, …

Why Emmanuel Macron is pulling French troops out of Niger
1 year, 3 months ago

Why Emmanuel Macron is pulling French troops out of Niger

Hindustan Times  

When on July 26th soldiers from Niger’s presidential guard detained and overthrew the leader they were supposed to be protecting, France insisted that it would not take orders from the new junta. When the coup leaders told France’s ambassador and its 1,500 soldiers stationed in the country to get out, the former colonial power dug in its heels, citing a …

President Macron says France will end its military presence in Niger and pull ambassador after coup
1 year, 3 months ago

President Macron says France will end its military presence in Niger and pull ambassador after coup

The Hindu  

President Emmanuel Macron announced on September 24 that France will end its military presence in Niger and pull its ambassador out of the country after its democratically elected president was deposed in a coup. France has maintained some 1,500 troops in Niger since the July coup, and had repeatedly refused an order by the new junta for its ambassador to …

President Macron says France will end its military presence in Niger, pull its ambassador after coup
1 year, 3 months ago

President Macron says France will end its military presence in Niger, pull its ambassador after coup

Associated Press  

PARIS — President Emmanuel Macron announced Sunday that France will end its military presence in Niger and pull its ambassador out of the country as a result of the coup that removed the democratically elected president. Ali Sekou Ramadan, an aide to Niger’s deposed President Mohamed Bazoum, told The Associated Press that Bazoum requested that Macron withdraw the French ambassador, …

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 …

Niger: Fresh anti-France protests erupt in Niamey as thousands demand withdrawal of French troops
1 year, 4 months ago

Niger: Fresh anti-France protests erupt in Niamey as thousands demand withdrawal of French troops

India TV News  

A fresh round of anti-France protests erupted in Niger's capital, Niamey, as thousands gathered on Saturday to demand the withdrawal of French troops from the country over a month after the military coup that ousted a democratically-elected government from power. The military administration in Niger had also announced the expulsion of France's Ambassador to Niger Sylvain Itte and gave him …

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 {{ …

Kremlin rejects Macron charges that it is ‘destabilising’ Africa
1 year, 6 months ago

Kremlin rejects Macron charges that it is ‘destabilising’ Africa

Al Jazeera  

Moscow calls ties ‘constructive’ in latest back-and-forth with Paris as former French colonies increasingly turn to Russian military contractors. The Kremlin has rejected allegations by French President Emmanuel Macron that Russia is a destabilising force in Africa as he cited Moscow’s deployment of mercenary groups there. “This is a destabilising force in Africa through private militias who come to prey …

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 …

Macron to outline Africa policy before four-nation trip
1 year, 10 months ago

Macron to outline Africa policy before four-nation trip

Firstpost  

Paris: President Emmanuel Macron is to outline on Monday France’s revamped strategy for Africa, where anti-French sentiment is running high in some of its former colonies. His speech at the presidential palace comes two days ahead of a four-nation tour of central African countries, as Paris seeks to counter growing Chinese and Russian influence in the region. France has fallen …

France sets its military goals as war is back in Europe
2 years, 1 month ago

France sets its military goals as war is back in Europe

Associated Press  

PARIS — President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday that France’s military strategy must strengthen the country as an independent, respected nuclear-armed power through the end of the decade, warning against a risk of escalation and other global effects of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine “may precede broader geopolitical rivalries and a future that we have no reason to …

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 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 …

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, 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 …

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