For the first time since Senegal was colonized, there are no longer any French military contingents on Senegalese soil. On Thursday, July 17, the last two of the six sites Paris had controlled in the West African country were given back to Senegal in a military ceremony. The event was held at Camp Geille, the largest French base located in central Dakar, and attended by Pascal Ianni, commander of the French forces in Africa, and Mbaye Cissé, chief of the general staff of the Senegalese armed forces.

The 350 French soldiers' withdrawal had been demanded by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye. In an interview with Le Monde in November 2024, he described the presence of French soldiers in Senegal as "an anomaly." "What country can have foreign troops on its soil and still claim independence?" he asked. While France had already planned to significantly reduce its military presence there – Jean-Marie Bockel, President Emmanuel Macron's special envoy for the reorganization of France's military presence in Africa, recommended the contingent in Senegal be drawn down to around 100 personnel – the Senegalese president's order nevertheless surprised officials in Paris.

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