Ivory Coast is the sixth in a growing list of African nations cutting military ties with former colonial power France.
French military troops who have been in Ivory Coast for decades will soon be leaving, Ivorian officials have said
President Alassane Ouattara’s announcement on Tuesday puts Ivory Coast on a growing list of African countries cutting military ties with the once greatly influential former colonial power, as some former French allies also turn to Russian mercenaries for help fighting a swarm of armed groups in the region.
Within days of each other in November, Chad and Senegal expelled French troops, joining several Sahel countries that had earlier done the same, starting in 2021.
The wave of pushback has forced France to devise a new military strategy for the continent that officials say will be in line with the “needs” of partner countries. Temporary deployments, rather than permanent military presence, and more focus on training local forces, are some features of the new policy.
Why is Ivory Coast expelling French troops?
In his 2024 end-of-year address to the country on December 31, President Ouattara said the Ivorian government had decided to expel French troops because the Ivorian army is “now effective”. The president did not give any other reasons.
We can be proud of our army, whose modernisation is now effective. It is within this context that we have decided on the concerted and organised withdrawal of French forces,” Ouattara said.
The 43rd Marine Infantry Battalion (BIMA), a French army base located in Port-Bouet in the economic capital, Abidjan, will be “handed over” to the Ivorian military starting from January 2025, he added. French soldiers have been helping the Ivorian army in the fight against armed groups operating in the Sahel and expanding into countries along the Gulf of Guinea, including Ivory Coast and Ghana. France also operated as part of a United Nations peacekeeping mission during the country’s long civil war from 2002 to 2011.
Ouattara’s announcement on Tuesday was unexpected. The president is seen by many as one of the African leaders most close to France. In a country in which anger against France is growing, that perception has bred deep resentment of the government. In August, French President Emmanuel Macron feted Ouattara in a private dinner at the Elysee.
Analysts say Ouattara’s decision to cut military ties could also be political, as Ivorian’s gear up for general elections slated for October. Ouattara, who has been in power since 2010, has not yet said whether he will seek a fourth term in the polls. His decision to run for president in 2020 following the sudden death of his successor and prime minister, Amadou Gon Coulibaly, provoked widespread outrage in opposition camps.
