France has formally handed over its Rufisque military base to the Senegalese government, marking the fourth facility vacated as part of Paris’s complete military withdrawal from the West African country.
The quiet handover took place on Tuesday, with no formal ceremony, involving only a signing attended by military representatives from both sides and officials from the French Embassy in Dakar.
Located approximately 30 km south of Dakar, the Rufisque base has operated since 1960 as a French military radio transmission center used for communications with naval vessels and submarines along the Atlantic coast. In recent weeks, the last 20 French personnel stationed at the site departed, concluding their long-standing operational role.
This handover represents a further step toward dismantling France’s century-long military footprint in Senegal — a former colony often referred to as “Little Paris” by West Africa’s educated elite. The final phase of the withdrawal is expected on 18 July, when France will transfer two remaining facilities: one located within Dakar International Airport and another in the Plateau district near the city’s main port.
The full exit follows a policy shift under President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, whose government has moved to redefine Senegal’s international partnerships. Faye has publicly stated that the presence of foreign military forces conflicts with national sovereignty, aligning his administration with a broader regional trend calling for post-colonial realignment.
France’s retreat from Senegal comes amid broader reevaluations of its role across the Sahel and West Africa, where anti-French sentiment and sovereignty-focused agendas have increasingly shaped foreign policy
