Ivory Coast: France Hands Over Military Base

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1 day ago

Above: Ivorian and French soldiers march at the entrance of general Ouattara Thomas d'Aquin military camp in Abidjan on Feb. 20, 2025. Image copyright: Issouf Sanogo/AFP via Getty Imagesstory last updated 15 hours ago

The Facts

France officially transferred control of its sole military base in Ivory Coast to local authorities on Thursday, though about 80 French soldiers will continue to be employed for training purposes, French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu said.
The Port-Bouet military camp near the country's largest city, Abidjan, which previously hosted the 43rd French Marine Infantry Battalion, had been a key French military installation in the West African country — the world's top cocoa producer — since 1978.
The withdrawal follows similar recent French military departures from Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, and Senegal, with France now being asked to leave more than 70% of African countries where it maintained troops since colonial times.

The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

Transfer of the military base represents France's strategic response to evolving regional dynamics. That French military support is still essential is evident from the dramatic regional security deterioration following the forced exit from coup-hit countries. Yet, with its new strategy of relying on a smaller military footprint, while maintaining vital defense partnerships and training capacities, Paris and its partners will succeed in ensuring security.

Associated Press

Establishment-critical narrative

France's exit from Ivory Coast is based on the region's growing anti-French sentiment, as its population is increasingly aware that Paris has been profiting from and fueling the region's destabilization for decades. Now Paris is embarking on a strategy that involves a reduced military presence while infiltrating African armed forces. However, no amount of maneuvering can prevent the inevitable collapse of French neo-colonialism in Africa.

Peoples Dispatch