Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has announced that all foreign military bases will be removed from Senegalese territory by July 2025, as part of a broader national effort to reassert full sovereignty and control over national security. Speaking during an interview on Burkina Faso’s national television during an official visit to Ouagadougou, Sonko emphasized that the decision reflects Senegal’s long-term strategic goal of achieving complete political and military independence.
“We have already cleared one base, and the process is underway for the rest,” Sonko said. “We are not against international cooperation, but it must be rooted in fairness, mutual respect, and sovereignty.” While Sonko did not name the countries affected, France and the United States are known to maintain military and intelligence facilities in Senegal, used for regional counterterrorism operations and training. The move aligns Senegal with a growing pan-Africanist shift among countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, which have also expelled foreign troops, particularly those from France, in recent years. These countries now form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) and are advocating for a new regional security model free from external military dominance.
Sonko, a vocal critic of neo-colonial influence in West Africa, urged other African nations to take charge of their own security and reduce dependency on foreign powers. His message echoes broader continental calls for strategic autonomy, especially amid evolving global power dynamics and diminishing Western military footprints in the region. The announcement is expected to have geopolitical implications, particularly for France’s military presence in West Africa, as it continues to face backlash in former colonies over its perceived post-colonial influence.
