France handed over its military base in Cote d’Ivoire to the local authorities in a ceremony on Thursday that was attended by French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu, BFMTV reported.
"France is transforming its presence; France is not withdrawing. Thus, 80 French servicemen, constituting the backbone of the joint squad, will come to arm and justify the French military presence here," Lecornu said at the base in Port-Bouet, near Abidjan.
In 2022, the French military was forced to leave Mali after maintaining a presence in Africa's Sahel region since 2014 as part of the anti-terrorism Operation Barkhane. In 2023, French soldiers left Burkina Faso and Niger at the request of the countries' authorities.