On December 31, 2024, President of Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouattara, announced that French troops would withdraw from his country, making it the latest African nation to reduce military ties with its former colonial power. And this is a further sign of former colonial power France’s fading military influence in West Africa.

Ouattara, once France’s staunchest African ally, told his nation in New Year’s Eve address that the withdrawal would begin this January, stating that it will be a “coordinated and organised withdrawal of French forces,” adding that the 600-strong military infantry battalion of Port Bouét that is run by the French army will be handed over to Ivorian troops.

Ivory Coast joins five other Francophone African countries that have severed military ties with France. The others are Mali, Guinea, Senegal, Niger and Chad.

On November 28, 2024, Chad, a key Western ally in the fight against Islamic militants in the region, announced the termination of its 64-year-old defence pact with Paris, effectively ejecting the 1,000 French soldiers in the country.

In a further shock for France, on the same date, Senegal altered its longstanding relationships with the French military with President Diomaye Bassirou Faye announcing that France should close all its military bases in Senegal because they were “incompatible” with Senegalese sovereignty.

They joined Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger which had already ended military cooperation with their former colonial master, France. After France’s 4,500-strong Operation Barkhane force withdrew from Mali in August 2022, French troops also exited Burkina Faso in February 2023.

Ordinarily, it should worry France that its supposed most reliable partners are declaring it non grata. The French community to which Francophone Africans belong on the basis of the principle of assimilation is becoming history. But instead of being circumspect on why its military presence in its former colonies is now a far cry just a few years ago, President Emmanuel Macron, who is presiding over the crumbling of France’s stronghold and influence in Africa, is riding a high horse. Speaking to French ambassadors penultimate Monday, Macron launched a diatribe against African leaders, saying, “They forgot to say ‘thank you.’ It does not matter; it will come with time.”

Defending French deployment of its military in Francophone countries, he added: “We did the right thing. But I say this for all the African heads of state who have not had the courage in the face of public opinion to hold that view. None of them would be a sovereign country today if the French army hadn’t deployed in the region.”

Infuriated Chad President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno struck back, saying Macron’s remarks “border on contempt for Africa and Africans. I think he is in the wrong era.”

Senegal’s Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko also fired back, stating: “Had African soldiers, sometimes forcibly mobilised, mistreated and ultimately betrayed, not been deployed during the Second World War to defend France, it would, perhaps still be German today.”

No matter the recriminations, we at Daily Trust believe that the closure of these military bases is welcome developments. They signal the second wave of independence aimed at dismantling the last vestiges of colonialism in Africa, giving impetus to each country to chart its own destiny, deploying their national resources to develop and enhance their nations.

But we also caution that unless each nation has a new national mindset and eliminates elite parasitic tendencies, the euphoria and hope following the military base closure would largely remain ephemeral. This is because these nations must be reminded that the hosting of American bases by Japan, South Korea, Germany, Saudi Arabia and others did not stop them from developing into world class economies.

It is the ineffectiveness of national institutions and the inability of the ruling elite to enthrone good governance that has stalled development in Africa. We believe that it is time out for the use of hosting foreign military bases as an excuse for underdevelopment.

In other words, closing the military bases is not a cure-all. The future lies in each nation taking a stand and driving its own destiny in its own hands. The solution to Africa’s problems lies within Africa and in the hands of Africans.

We also warn that the whole essence of the expulsion of French troops should not be to replace them with any other regional or global power. It should not be an invitation to ignite another global power rivalry. In any case, it is doubtful if this would effectively guarantee the required security for any of these countries.

Therefore, we call on these nations to boost their internal security so as to ensure that the new move reduces the levels of terrorism and violence. Moreover, we also advocate the strengthening of regional security cooperation. The effectiveness of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) in helping in intelligence sharing and cross-border military operations between member-states towards tackling common security challenges should be incorporated and possibly enlarged. It is time for action.