French troops leave ivory coast

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Lerato Khumalo

Withdrawal from Africa

French troops leave ivory coast

Updated on February 20, 2025 – 6:51 p.m.Reading time: 1 min.

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France remains present with a residual contingent of around 80 soldiers in the Ivory Coast. (Source: Diomande BLE Blonde/AP/dpa/dpa pictures)

France has remained militarily present for a long time in its former African colonies. However, the influence disappears – now also in the Ivory Coast.

France’s troops have largely left the Ivory Coast. The location of the French Marine Investment Battalion from Port Bouet was handed over to the troops of the West African country. “France is changing his presence, but does not disappear,” said Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu when the barracks were handed over. Around 600 French soldiers were recently stationed in the ivory coast. For training purposes, 80 soldiers remained on site in the future, said Lecornu.

France and the Ivory Coast want to continue their military cooperation, but place on a more flexible and balanced basis and focus more on the needs of the Ivory Coast. With the withdrawal from the Ivory Coast, France’s loss of influence continues in the countries in the field of his former colonies in West and Central Africa.

France and Senegal recently set the course for the deduction of French troops from the country. At the end of January, France ended his troop deduction from the Chad. The three countries did not fundamentally question their gang with France. The tone in Mali, Burkina Faso and the Niger, who had broken in a dispute with France in the past few years, was different.

Even after the end of his colonial rule, France had remained militarily present in the countries of the region and was recently involved in the fight against Islamist extremists.