Ivory Coast is latest African country to announce withdrawal of French troops

Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara, declared in a year-end speech on Tuesday that French troops will withdraw from the country, according to the BBC.

It is the just the latest West African nation to distance itself from its former colonial power. In recent months, Senegal and Chad announced measures to reduce France’s military and political influence in the region. French forces have already withdrawn from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger following coups in those countries.

Public sentiment towards France has soured over the past three years with many countries in the Sahel pivoting towards stronger relationships with China and Russia. 

It is estimated that roughly 600 French troops are currently stationed in Ivory Coast. A base in a suburb of the capital will reportedly be transferred to troops from Ivory Coast when the French troops are expected to depart in January.

“We can be proud of our army, whose modernization is now effective. It is in this context that we have decided on the concerted and organized withdrawal of French forces,” Ouattara said.

According to The New York Times, France's military footprint in Africa will soon be limited to deployments in Djibouti and Gabon.