In November 2024, Senegalese president Bassirou Diomaye Faye was asking the French army to leave the country. The military withdrawal from France is planned for the end of 2025, but some military bases are already beginning to be restored to Senegal. Most infrastructures date back to the sixties and the independence of the country.
This was a desire, this is now a genuine fact: France is paving the way for a definitive departure from Senegal, where the French presence has never been stopped since 1960 and the Senegalese independence. Last Friday, France returned several military installations to Senegal which were exploited by the French army. The accommodations of Maréchal and Saint-Exupéry neighborhoods were given back to the Senegalese authorities, and some others are expected to follow.
On February 12, Paris announced the creation of a dedicated commission aiming at organizing the departure of the French army from Senegal. This commission was gathered for the first time on February 28 to discuss the calendar of departure.
This departure means that some people will be laid off. In particular, the Senegalese staff who is working in the French bases is expected to be made redundant by July 1, 2025. French military companies are hiring 162 people in Dakar and the surroundings. If you take into account the externalization, you can increase this figure between 400 and 500 people.
The French departure and the end of France’s presence in Senegal will have consequences on the employment rate. Last Thursday, a forum organized by the French army was held in Dakar. This forum was targeting redeployment opportunities for the 162 employees about to be laid off shortly. These opportunities have been detected in local companies.
The end of the French military presence in Senegal does not mean the end of relationships between both countries. Still, France will now be considered as a partner among others, and not a privileged one any longer.
By Guillaume Mahot