The French military has completed its withdrawal from Senegal, its last West African country with a permanent troop presence, amid waning regional influence.

France handed over control of its last major military facility in Senegal on Thursday, marking the end of its armed forces' long presence in the West African country and a milestone in a withdrawal from the wider region.

France officially ended 65 years of permanent military presence in Senegal with a symbolic handover of its last two military bases in Dakar.

France returned Camp Geille, its largest base in Senegal, and its airfield at Dakar’s airport in a ceremony on Thursday attended by top French and Senegalese officials, including Senegalese Chief of the General Staff Mbaye Cisse and General Pascal Ianni, the head of the French forces in Africa.

Camp Geille military base in Ouakam, Dakar, hosts handover ceremony attended by Senegal’s chief of general staff as well as top French commander for Africa - Anadolu Ajansı

France has faced opposition from leaders of some of its former colonies in Africa over what they described as a demeaning and heavy-handed approach to the continent. The French mi

Senegal’s new government has taken a hard-line stance against the presence of French troops as part of a larger regional backlash against what many see as the legacy of an oppressive colonial empire.V

French army leaves Senegal, ending military presence in west Africa

France has officially withdrawn its military forces from Senegal, marking the end of a 65-year presence in the West African nation. On Thursday, the French army handed over its last remaining base to Senegalese authorities,