France’s six-decade military presence in Senegal has officially come to an end with the handover of its final base to the Senegalese army.
The transfer of Camp Geille, a five-hectare site in Ouakam, Dakar, was marked by a brief military ceremony, reports Fraternité Matin.
The move also includes the closure of France’s military facility at Dakar’s international airport, marking the end of France’s permanent military presence in West Africa.
According to Ivorian media, the withdrawal is part of Paris’s wider strategy to restructure its defense posture on the continent.
Meanwhile, in Côte d’Ivoire, President Alassane Ouattara returned to Abidjan on Wednesday after a visit to France, where he met with President Emmanuel Macron, notes Abidjan.net.
Back home, a political dialogue has begun between the ruling RHDP party and opposition figures from the Cap-Côte d’Ivoire coalition, including Simone Gbagbo’s MGC and Charles Blé Goudé’s COJEP.
The talks, held just three months ahead of the presidential election, focused on electoral reforms and concluded with an agreement to create a technical committee for continued discussions.
In Nigeria, a political upheaval is unfolding. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has resigned from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), a party he co-founded in 1998.
Citing “irreconcilable differences,” he stated, “It is with a heavy heart that I resign,” according to Premium Times. In response, a new opposition alliance is forming around the ADC platform, uniting Atiku, Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, Nasir El-Rufai, and other key political figures, reports The Punch.
In Senegal, the judicial system remains under pressure as the clerks’ strike delays high-profile trials.
The Dakar court has postponed its verdicts for political detainees Moustapha Diakhaté and Bachir Fofana until July 23, according to Le Quotidien.
Flood concerns loom in Tambacounda, where regional council president Mamadou Kassé urged vigilance over the Gambia and Senegal rivers amid rising rainfall.
“We must control the Gambia and Senegal rivers to avoid the tragedies experienced last year,” he told L’Observateur.
Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, during the July 16 Council of Ministers, announced a sweeping reform of public administration focused on strategic project oversight and institutional modernization, reports Le Soleil.
Elsewhere in Mali, former Prime Minister Moussa Mara was released after two days of hearings regarding a controversial tweet.
The legal proceedings are ongoing, according to Maliweb.
In Guinea, Ivanhoe Atlantic CEO Bronwyn Barnes met with Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah to discuss the Liberty Corridor—a transnational industrial route linking Guinea and Liberia.
The corridor includes a proposed green steel plant in Lola, reports Guinée News. Additionally, President Mamadi Doumbouya has authorized the construction of a 40 MW solar power plant in Khoumagueli to boost energy production.
In Togo, the National Council for the Fight against HIV/AIDS (CNLS) announced that over 594,000 people were tested in 2024, signaling significant progress in the national response to the epidemic, reports Republic of Togo.
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