France hands over sole military base to Côte d'Ivoire

France on Thursday withdrew from its sole military base in Côte d'Ivoire, in West Africa, according to media reports.

France’s Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu attended the official decommissioning ceremony at the base, local media reported.

Côte d'Ivoire, a former French colony, will continue cooperating with France on the military level, as previously announced by Ivorian Defense Minister Tene Birahima Ouattara.

The Port-Bouet military camp, officially the 43rd BIMA marine infantry battalion's camp located near the former capital of Abidjan, will be renamed after the Ivorian army's first chief of staff, Thomas d'Aquin Ouattara.

Waning influence

France's military presence in Africa has been steadily declining in recent years as several nations in the region, including Chad, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, pushed out the forces of the former colonialist power.

French troops currently remain in Djibouti and Gabon, two countries that have not signaled changes to agreements with Paris on its military presence.

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