Ivory Coast has announced the withdrawal of French troops, marking the end of a decades-long military presence and joining a growing list of West African nations cutting ties with their former colonizer.
In his end-of-year address, President Alassane Ouattara declared that the 43rd BIMA marine infantry battalion at Port-Bouet in Abidjan would be transferred to the country’s armed forces by January 2025. “We can be proud of our army, whose modernization is now effective. It is in this context that we have decided on the concerted and organized withdrawal of French forces,” Ouattara stated.
This move aligns Ivory Coast with Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Senegal, and Chad, which have recently expelled French troops amidst growing anti-French sentiment across the region. France, which once maintained significant influence in its former colonies, has now been forced out of over 70 percent of African nations where it had a military presence.
The latest developments signal a broader geopolitical shift. Countries like Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso have moved closer to Russia following the removal of French forces, reflecting a changing dynamic in West Africa's international alliances.
France, meanwhile, is recalibrating its strategy, reducing its permanent troop presence on the continent in response to waning influence. Djibouti and Gabon remain the only African countries hosting French troops.
As Ivory Coast steps into a new era of military self-reliance, the departure of French forces underscores the region’s increasing demand for sovereignty and reevaluation of colonial-era ties.
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