Ivory Coast officially took control of the last remaining French military base in the country as the majority of French forces departed from countries across West Africa.
Some 80 French servicemen will continue to stay in the country to advise and train the Ivorian military, according to the French Minister of the Armed Forces, at a joint conference with Téné Birahima Ouattara, the Ivorian defense and state minister.
“The world is changing and changing fast. It’s clear that our defense relationship also had to evolve and be based more on future prospects in the face of the realities of threats and those of a world that has become complex in terms of security, and not on a defense relationship inspired by the past,” said Sébastien Lecornu, the French Minister for the Armed Forces.
“France is transforming its presence. France is not disappearing,” he added.
Ivory Coast’s announcement follows that of other leaders across West Africa, where France’s militaries are being asked to leave. Analysts have described the requests for French troops to leave Africa as part of a broader structural transformation in the region’s engagement with Paris amid growing local sentiments against France.
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