France will officially transfer control of its last military base in Senegal to the Senegalese government on July 18, 2025, in a move signaling a historic shift in the two nations’ defense relationship.
The announcement was made by French Ambassador Christine Fages during France’s national holiday reception at the French Residence in Dakar.
“In accordance with the guidelines established by President Macron in 2022, France will return to Senegal the military bases of the French Elements in Senegal in four days,” Ambassador Fages said in the presence of Senegalese officials, including President Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s chief of staff, Mary Teuw Niane.
Although the ambassador did not explicitly name the Ouakam base, it is understood to be the final site in the process of France’s gradual withdrawal, part of a broader reconfiguration of its military presence across West Africa.
Fages described the evolving partnership as one “based on mutual respect and complementarity, guaranteeing the preservation of the interests of both countries.”
The withdrawal follows a schedule outlined in the 2012 military cooperation treaty and reinforced by commitments made at the joint Franco-Senegalese commission meeting on May 16.
The most recent handover occurred on July 1, when Senegal regained control of the Rufisque Joint Broadcasting Station, a strategic communications facility that had been operated by French forces since 1960.
Rufisque’s transfer came just one day after Presidents Faye and Macron met on the sidelines of the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development in Seville.
Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a defense partnership “based on the interests of our peoples and our sovereignty.”
Since March, France has already handed over several other key sites, including the Maréchal and Saint-Exupéry sites near Hann Park and the Contre-Amiral Protet district at the Port of Dakar. All remaining bases are scheduled for transfer by the end of July.
Looking ahead, Ambassador Fages emphasized that the future of Franco-Senegalese military cooperation will center on training and joint operational readiness.
“We must review our entire cooperation to identify what we want to continue, deepen, transform, or discontinue,” she said.
A high-level intergovernmental seminar is expected to be held in Dakar before the end of the year to formalize this new chapter. The changes come as part of France’s broader 2022 strategy to restructure its military footprint in Africa.
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