France faces another setback as Ivory Coast demands troop exit

Ivory Coast’s president has announced that French troops will withdraw from the country, ending a decades-long military presence.

The country now joins a growing number of francophone states that have asked the former colonial power to relinquish its military presence in West Africa.

Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara confirmed that the withdrawal will begin in January 2025. France currently has up to 600 troops stationed in the country.

“We have decided on the concerted and organized withdrawal of French forces from Ivory Coast,” Ouattara said in a televised address on Tuesday. The pullout will begin this month, he said.

He added that the military infantry battalion of Port Bouét that is run by the French army will be handed over to Ivorian troops.

Ouattara’s announcement aligns with similar decisions by other leaders across West Africa, where French troops have been asked to leave.

Since 2022, France has been expunged from at least four West African nations: Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and, most recently, Chad.

The reduction in military ties comes amid France’s efforts to regain its diminishing political and military influence in Africa through a revamped strategy that reduces its permanent troop presence on the continent.

Following the expulsion of French troops, military leaders in Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso have strengthened ties with Russia.