French troops will soon begin departing Ivory Coast, raising questions about what France's military presence in West Africa will look like, and how Ivory Coast will fill the security void. With the exit of French troops from Ivory Coast,

Ivory Coast says that French troops will leave the country starting January 2025, becoming the latest African nation to downscale military ties with its former colonial power.

Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara said on Tuesday that French forces would withdraw from the West African nation, continuing the former colonial power's military exit from the region.

Ivory Coast is home to the biggest remaining contingent of French troops in West Africa. There are some 600 French military personnel in the country with 350 in Senegal. France, w

Ivory Coast’s president announced the withdrawal of French troops from the country, joining a growing number of francophone states that have asked the former colonial power to relinquish its military presence in West Africa.

French forces have also left Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, and Nigeria in recent months after a series of military coups.

Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara's announcement is a further sign of former colonial power France's fading military influence in West Africa. View on euronews