French and Ivorian military officials have begun talks on the planned withdrawal of French forces from Côte d’Ivoire. General Pascal Yanni, the commander of French forces in Africa, met with General Lassina Doumbia, Chief of Staff of Côte d’Ivoire’s army, in Abidjan. The meeting aimed to discuss the gradual redeployment of the French contingent stationed at the 43rd Marine Battalion (43e BIMa) base in Port Bouet, according to Africaintel.
During the meeting, it was agreed that Côte d’Ivoire will assume complete control of the base as part of the withdrawal process. However, France said it plans to strengthen its military relationship with Côte d’Ivoire by establishing training and communication centres to enhance the capabilities of the Armed Forces of Côte d’Ivoire.
France has about 950 soldiers stationed in Côte d’Ivoire and nearly 10,000 troops across sub-Saharan Africa. After finalising the withdrawal, France and Cote will still conduct joint military exercises. In Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, however, French military presence is not tolerated. In Mali, troops were expelled after a 2021 coup. Burkina Faso’s junta followed suit in 2022, and most recently, Niger’s military government ended its cooperation with France in 2023.
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