France has handed over control of a military base in Ivory Coast’s commercial capital, Abidjan, while retaining 80 military personnel for training. The move is part of a broader reduction of French forces in West and Central Africa.
French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced that France would maintain a small military presence in Ivory Coast despite ceding control of the base. He reassured that France was "not disappearing," stating that the remaining troops would form a joint detachment, with their numbers reassessed based on training needs.
French troops have been stationed in Ivory Coast for decades, supporting President Alassane Ouattara’s rise to power in 2011 after post-election violence. However, Ouattara confirmed in December that French forces would withdraw.
The base handover comes amid a broader shift in France’s military strategy in Africa. In November, sources indicated that France was considering reducing its regional presence to 600 troops from around 2,200. The withdrawal follows the exit of French forces from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger after military coups and growing anti-French sentiment.
France also began withdrawing from Chad in December after N'Djamena ended its defence cooperation pact, further reshaping France’s role in Africa’s security landscape
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