Senegal's President Faye seeks withdrawal of French troops

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) — Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Faye seeks to end to the presence of French troops in the West African nation.

"There will soon be no more French soldiers in Senegal," Faye told French daily Le Monde, emphasizing the importance of national sovereignty.

The French military has maintained a presence in Senegal since the country's independence in 1960, primarily for training and regional security operations. There are currently some 350 French soldiers in the country.

This marks the first official statement from Senegal's government calling for the departure of French troops. However, in May 2024, Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko criticized their presence, questioning their necessity in a sovereign nation.

Faye, who has been in office since April, said he would on Sunday commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Thiaroye massacre, when hundreds of African riflemen were killed by French forces in 1944 for demanding pay.

The Senegalese president said he had received a letter from his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron acknowledging that the incident "was indeed a massacre."

"It is not enough to acknowledge that it was a massacre; it must pave the way for full collaboration to uncover the complete truth about the tragic events of Thiaroye," he added.

In a separate interview with broadcaster France 2, President Faye addressed the issue of French soldiers currently stationed in the capital Dakar across various military bases.

"As French people, do you envisage seeing us in your country with tanks or with military vehicles, Senegalese soldiers with Senegalese uniforms? I don't think so because historically, France enslaved, colonized and stayed," he said.

He continued, "Obviously, I think that when you reverse the roles a little, you will find it very difficult to imagine that another army, China, Russia, Senegal, or any other country, could have a military base in France. Senegal is an independent country, it is a sovereign country, and sovereignty does not accommodate the presence of military bases in a sovereign country."

- Regional trend

Faye's statement came as Central African nation Chad on Thursday ended an agreement with France aimed at strengthening cooperation in security and defense between the two nations.

The development aligns with a broader regional trend, as neighboring countries like Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have recently expelled French troops, seeking to redefine their security partnerships.

Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger are members of the Alliance of Sahel States, formed in September last year.

The three military-led nations withdrew from the Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS, which had threatened to intervene with force in Niger following a coup in that country last year.

Since then, the three nations have worked together in counterterrorism efforts and to regional integration, instituting such measures as a single passport and to facilitate communications and diplomacy.