SENEGAL-FRANCE-DIPLOMACY-ARMY

Senegal's Chief of General Staff, General Mbaye Cisse (R), and France's General Pascal Ianni, who commands France's troops in Africa, salute as the Senegalese flag is raised during a ceremony where France will return Camp Geille, its largest base in the country, and its airfield at Dakar airport, in Dakar on July 17, 2025. France will on July 17, 2025 formally hand back its last military bases in Senegal, leaving the French army with no permanent camps in west and central Africa. Ending the French army's 65 years in Senegal, the pull-out comes after similar withdrawals across the continent, with former colonies increasingly turning their backs on their former ruler. Around 350 French soldiers, primarily tasked with conducting joint operations with the Senegalese army, will leave the west African nation after a three-month departure process. France started ceding its bases to Senegal in March. (Photo by Patrick Meinhardt / AFP)