Côte d'Ivoire has announced the withdrawal of French troops from the country, becoming yet another African nation to sever its military ties with its former colonial power.
In his New Year address, the president of Côte d'Ivoire, Alassane Ouattara, stated that the troop withdrawal will begin this month and will "reflect the modernization" of the country's army, which, according to him, Ivorians can "be proud of".
"In this context, we have made the decision for a coordinated and organized withdrawal of French troops", Ouattara noted, adding that the infantry battalion in Port-Bouët, under French management, will be handed over to Ivorian forces.
Currently, there are about 600 French military personnel in the country.
Analysts describe Côte d'Ivoire's decision to part ways with the French contingent as part of a broader structural transformation in the region's relations with Paris.
France has already withdrawn troops from three Sahel countries governed by hostile juntas – Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.
Last month, Senegal and Chad also announced the withdrawal of French troops. On December 26, France handed over control of the base in Faya to the Chadian authorities.
In Paris, officials state that they are conducting a "reorganization" of their permanent military presence in Africa and aim to address their waning political influence on the continent by developing a "new strategy".
France has exited from more than 70% of the African countries where it stationed troops following the end of colonial rule in the 1960s. Now French troops will remain only in Djibouti (1,500 soldiers) and Gabon (350 soldiers).
Meanwhile, the military leaders of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso have grown closer to Russia. The Kremlin has deployed mercenaries throughout the Sahel, who are accused of widespread human rights violations against the civilian population.
The security situation in these countries has deteriorated: there is an increase in extremist attacks and civilian casualties as a result of violence from both armed groups and government forces.