Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko addresses lawmakers during his policy speech in the National Assembly in Dakar on December 27, 2024. (Photo by Seyllou / AFP)
Dakar: Senegal announced on Friday its decision to close all foreign military bases on its territories, without specifying a timetable for this.
Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko said in a statement, "The president has decided to close all foreign military bases in the near future," without indicating when this decision will be implemented, or the deadlines set for the withdrawal of these forces from Senegalese territory.
President Bassiro Dioumay Faye expressed, in statements last month, his country's intention to close the French bases in his country, describing the foreign military presence as "contrary to sovereignty," in a move that is consistent with the prevailing trend among most new leaders in West Africa and the African Sahel region.
In recent years, France has lost its military presence in several African countries, including Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, while it began withdrawing its forces from Chad this month in response to a request from the authorities in N'Djamena.
