Ivory Coast has announced that French forces will withdraw from the West African country, further reducing the former colonial power's military influence in the region.
In an end-of-year speech, Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara said the move was a reflection of the modernization of the country's armed forces.
Separately, Senegal, which announced last month that France would be forced to close its military bases on its territory, confirmed that the withdrawal would be completed by the end of 2025.
Ivory Coast hosts the largest remaining contingent of French forces in West Africa.
There are about 600 French soldiers in the country, including 350 in Senegal.
France, whose colonial rule in West Africa ended in the 1960s, has already withdrawn its soldiers from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger in the wake of military coups in those countries and growing anti-French sentiment.
The government of Chad – the West's main ally in the war against Islamist militants in the region – abruptly ended its defense cooperation agreement with France in November.
“I have instructed the Minister of the Armed Forces to propose a new principle of cooperation in the field of defense and security, which includes, among other consequences, the end of all foreign military presence in Senegal as of 2025,” Senegalese President Basserou Diomai Faye said.
Fay was elected in March on a promise to achieve sovereignty and end dependence on foreign countries.
France will maintain a limited presence in Gabon.
For more than three decades after its independence from France, Côte d'Ivoire (also known by its French name, Côte d'Ivoire) was known for its religious and ethnic harmony, as well as its developed economy.
This West African country has been hailed as a model of stability. But the armed rebellion that occurred in 2002 led to the division of the country into two parts. Peace agreements alternated with renewed violence as the country slowly made its way toward a political solution to the conflict.
Despite the instability, Ivory Coast is the world's largest exporter of cocoa beans, and its citizens enjoy a relatively high income level compared to other countries in the region.
