Chad and Senegal have both announced plans to end French military presence in their territories.
The Chadian government revealed it is terminating its defense cooperation agreement with France, as reported by the BBC. However, officials emphasized that this decision does not signify a complete break with France, stating that the country remains “an important partner.” They underscored that Chad, now “grown, matured, and a sovereign state,” values its independence.
Senegal’s president also expressed that French military bases in the country do not align with national interests and are “incompatible with the sovereignty” of Senegal.
“Senegal is an independent, sovereign country, and sovereignty does not allow (foreign) military bases,” said Bassirou Diomaye Faye in an AFP interview. He highlighted Senegal’s expanding ties with China, the US, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, emphasizing that none of these countries have military bases within Senegal.
This development follows similar shifts in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, which reassessed their ties with France. France itself cut military ties with the Central African Republic in 2022 amid Russia’s growing influence in the region.
A year ago, President Macron called out an “epidemic of coups” in French-speaking Africa, pointing to countries such as Gabon, Niger, Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Mali. He attributed these upheavals to a “peculiar alliance between self-proclaimed pan-Africanists and neo-imperialists,” referring to Russia and China as the “neo-imperialists,” according to the BBC.
