France has formally handed back its last two military bases in Senegal, ending its 65-year military presence in the country and leaving Paris with no permanent camps in West or Central Africa.
The pull-out mirrors similar French withdrawals across the continent, as ex-colonies increasingly turn away from their former colonial ruler. This development comes amid a growing jihadist conflict in the Sahel, spanning Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, and threatening Gulf of Guinea nations to the south.
