France to Withdraw Troops From Côte d’Ivoire

Côte d’Ivoire has announced that French troops will leave the country after decades of military presence.

The AP reported that France has up to 600 troops in Côte d’Ivoire.

This is the last African state to take such a step with its former colonial power.

President of Côte d’Ivoire Alassane Ouattara said that the withdrawal of the troops would begin in January 2025.

“We have decided on a coordinated and organized withdrawal of the French forces from Côte d’Ivoire,” he said.

Ouattara’s statement followed statements by other leaders in West Africa, where the French troops are being asked to withdraw.

Analysts have described the requests to withdraw the French troops from Africa as part of a broader structural transformation in the region’s interaction with Paris.

The publication notes that in recent years, France has suffered similar setbacks in several West African countries, including Chad, Niger and Burkina Faso.

Several West African countries, including Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, which have experienced coups d’état, have recently asked the French to leave the country.

Among them are Senegal and Chad, which are considered France’s most stable and loyal partners in Africa.

The curtailment of military ties comes at a time when France is making efforts to revive its waning political and military influence on the continent by developing a new military strategy that will drastically reduce its permanent troop presence in Africa.

In December, the French government began withdrawing its troops from Chad after the defense agreement was terminated.