Anti-France Sentiments Grow in Africa as Senegal Calls for Troop Withdrawal
Senegalese President Basilou Diomaille Faye ordered France to dismantle its military bases, marking the end of a decades-long defense deal. The decision was in line with Faye’s nationalist campaign promises and growing anti-French sentiment in West Africa. On the 80th anniversary of the Tiaroye massacre, in which hundreds of Senegalese soldiers were killed by French colonial troops, Faye stressed that military bases undermined Senegalese sovereignty. Although he has severed military ties, Faye clarified that economic ties with France, Senegal’s main business partner, will continue. Paris is grappling with the waning influence of its former colony and faces similar rejection from Mali, Burkina Faso and Chad, driven by anti-colonial sentiment and perceptions of political interference. As France turns to economic partnerships with countries such as Nigeria, Senegal’s government, led by Faye and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, remains committed to reforms that challenge historic ties with Paris while seeking reparations for colonial injustices.
source: Al Jazeera
