"Presence changed"

French troops leave Cote d’Ivoire

(Bild: AFP/Ludovic Marin)

French troops have largely left Cote d'Ivoire. Around 600 French soldiers were last stationed in Côte d'Ivoire. However, 80 soldiers will remain in the future for training purposes.

The location of the French naval infantry battalion in Port Bouet was handed over to the troops of the West African country. "France is changing its presence, but not disappearing," said Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu at the handover of the barracks.

France and Côte d'Ivoire want to continue their military cooperation, but put it on a more flexible and balanced basis and focus more on the needs of Côte d'Ivoire. With the withdrawal from Côte d'Ivoire, France's loss of influence in the states on the territory of its former colonies in West and Central Africa continues.

Withdrawn in many African countries
France and Senegal recently set the course for the withdrawal of French troops from the country. At the end of January, France ended its troop withdrawal from Chad. However, the three countries did not fundamentally question their ties with France.

The tone was different in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. These countries had broken ties with France following military coups in recent years.

France had maintained a military presence in the countries of the region even after the end of its colonial rule and had recently become involved in the fight against Islamist extremists, among other things.