Last week, Ivory Coast followed other West African states in officially expelling hundreds of French troops from its territory, publicly denouncing France’s persisting influence as a former colonizer throughout the region. Thus, dismissing French troops from January 2025 onward is a powerful statement that Ivory Coast has made, and interestingly enough various analysts have claimed that the withdrawal of French troops is part of a structural transformation in the region’s engagement with the former colonizer amid growing local outcries against neocolonialist structures that France reportedly fostered by having direct military access to various West African countries.
Ivory Coast, which gained independence from France in 1960, is widely known for its stable economy, which is one of the fastest growing ones throughout West Africa. Although the West African country, which is the biggest exporter of cocoa beans worldwide, is now often used as an example of its stability, it has experienced turmoil, too. Especially in 2002, an armed rebellion turned into the first Ivorian civil war that lasted 5 years, while the outbreak of an election-related crisis in 2010, led to the second Ivorian civil war, which ended one year later in 2011. Since then, the West African country has aimed for far-reaching sociopolitical stability and economic prosperity which has also meant to re-evaluate the influence of foreign actors throughout the country. Thus, in December of 2024, President Ouattara festively announced the withdrawal of French troops, stating that one “can be proud of (Ivory Coast’s) army, whose modernization is now effective”, emphasizing that this military progress enabled the government to decide on “the concerted and organized withdrawal of French forces.”
President Ouattara’s announcement came unexpected, but many seemed pleasantly surprised, as the population’s resentment against France has extended to dissatisfaction with the Ivory Coast’s government. Thus, the president’s decision to expel French troops is likely to have self-beneficial reasons, which seems particularly likely in light of the general elections in October this year, in which current president Ouattara would be constitutionally allowed to run again. The reason for the local population’s strong resentment against France is largely based on the European countries’ oppressive and brutal manner of colonizing the Ivory Coast, which ultimately resulted in local traditions, cultures, and leadership being suppressed.
Then, even after Ivory Coast’s independence in 1960, France ensured its persisting influence, which included not only military presence but also political measures such as the creation of a network of African countries called “Francafrique” and economic measures such as the establishment of the West African CFA Franc, a currency that is pegged to the euro and backed by the French treasury. Initially, France’s military presence was quite welcomed by the West African states, however, the recent decades, in which the Sahel region has experienced waves of terrorism perpetrated by extremist religious groups such as Boko Haram or J.N.I.M. (Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin), have highlighted France’s inability to effectively support national governments in their fight against these armed groups.
Thus, the local population’s demand for French troops to withdraw grew exponentially in the past years and France’s increasing withdrawal from the region was foreseeable. Now, after removing its troops from the Ivory Coast, France is left with very little military influence, with only around 300 soldiers stationed in Gabon and around 1500 deployed in Dschibuti, indicating that over 70% of its military personnel has been removed since their deployment in the 1960s. But as previously highlighted, this recent development forms part of a general phenomenon that West African countries are pushing for – moving away from the former colonial power France and strengthening bonds with non-Western powers such as Russia. All military juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have expressed their will to diversify (military) partnerships, which has resulted in the Russian mercenary group Wagner being deployed in both Mali and Burkina Faso, to combat the extremist armed groups.
The most recent ‘Frexit’ seems to indicate a new development throughout West Africa – a move away from France, which has long influenced the state affairs of formerly colonized countries, and still, despite the withdrawal of its troops, will continue to do so to some extent. That notwithstanding, Ivory Coast signaled that it does not compromise on its independence – a signal that is crucial when aiming to push back against neocolonial dynamics. The wider implications of the withdrawal of French troops for the Ivory Coast and the West African community remains to be seen – for now, local empowerment is prioritized over foreign influence, which, either way, can only strengthen the countries’ sovereignty and autonomy.
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