Given the high level of anti-French sentiment in some former colonies and the competition for influence from nations like Russia, Macron declared in February 2023 that there would be a “noticeable reduction” in the number of French troops in Africa.
France intends to significantly cut back on its so-called “pre-positioned” forces in Africa, according to a proposal that is presently being discussed with African allies. France would only maintain about 100 troops in Gabon, Central Africa, down from 350 now, and about 100 troops in Senegal, West Africa, down from 350, according to two government-affiliated sources and a military source who all begged not to be identified. Paris intends to retain about 300 troops in Chad, in north-central Africa, down from 1,000 currently, and about 100 troops in Ivory Coast, on the southern coast of West Africa, down from 600 currently.
According to the three sources, the diminished presence might be sporadically increased in accordance with the requirements of regional partners. The French General Staff refused to respond when AFP contacted them. Up until two years ago, France had more than 5,000 troops in the Sahel region of Africa as part of the Barkhane anti-jihadist campaign, in addition to the about 1,600 forces that were already pre-deployed in Gabon and West Africa. However, the juntas that took control of Mali in 2021, Burkina Faso in 2022, and Niger in 2023 have steadily driven it out. Russia, which has been looking to increase its influence on the continent, has now signed security agreements with all three of the nations.
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The final Sahelian nation to get French troops is Chad, which is led by Mahamat Idriss Deby, son of Idriss Deby Itno, who served as president for more than 30 years.
‘Reduce visible presence’
Due to the restructuring of the Wagner organisation, whose founder Yevgeny Prigozhin perished in an unexplained plane crash in August, landlocked Chad is encircled by the Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya, and Niger, all of which are home to Russian paramilitary soldiers. Macron assigned former minister Jean-Marie Bockel the duty of negotiating the new terms of the French military presence with African allies in February. In July, his findings are anticipated. “Reduce its visible presence, but maintain logistical, human, and material access to these countries, while reinforcing our action in response to their aspirations,” Bockel stated before the Senate in May.
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