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France to Significantly Reduce Military Presence in Three West African Countries: Reports

© AP Photo / Mohammed BadraFrench President Emmanuel Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 30.01.2024
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Recently, France has been losing ground in Africa, especially in the western part of the continent, where the leaders of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger terminated military agreements with their former colonizer.
Paris will significantly reduce French military contingents in Gabon, Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire, such a decision was taken by the country's President Emmanuel Macron in December, and the process has already begun, a French newspaper reported on Tuesday.

According to the newspaper, Emmanuel Macron, has decided to drastically reduce the number of troops in Senegal, Gabon, and Côte d'Ivoire during a council of defense, which was held in mid-December 2023.

The media noted that the process of reducing the number of military personnel at most French bases in these countries has already begun, but it should accelerate this year.
According to the plans cited by the newspaper, the number of French military personnel in the capitals of Gabon, Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire could be reduced to around a hundred in each of the three African countries, with them performing mainly support functions.
French Barkhane Air Force mechanics maintain a Mirage 2000 on the Niamey, Niger base, on June 5, 2021. On Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023, night, the junta said on state television it was terminating the military agreements and protocols signed with it's former colonial ruler, France.  - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 28.12.2023
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According to the newspaper, until recently, there were 350 French troops each stationed at bases in Libreville and Dakar, the capitals of Gabon and Senegal, and 950 soldiers in Abidjan, the capital of Côte d'Ivoire.
The French president's office told the newspaper that the number of French contingents in these countries will be modified from time to time, depending on the "needs of the partners" at a given time.
At the same time, the newspaper notes that the number of French contingents in Djibouti and Chad will not change, with at least 1,500 soldiers deployed in each country.
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